Role of sintered temperature and sintering time on spectral translucence of nano-crystal monolithic zirconia

BACKGROUND: Sintering process is accountable for aesthetic appearance of zirconia restoration. This study appraised the effect of different sintering procedure via sintered temperatures and sintering times on spectral translucence of monolithic zirconia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and thirty five monolithic zirconia specimens (width, length, thickness = 10, 20, 1.5 mm) were prepared from yttrium-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (Y-TZP, Ceramill®) and unintentionally divided into nine groups to be sintered at different temperatures [decreasing- (SD, 1350°C), regular- (SR, 1450°C), and increasing- (SI, 1550°C) sintering temperature] and different sintering times [shortening- (HS, 60 min), regular- (HR, 120 min), and prolong- (HP, 180 min) sintering time]. Spectral translucence was determined by using spectrophotometer and calculated for translucency parameter (TP). The surface topography and grain size were evaluated by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Crystalline structures of monoclinic (m) and tetragonal (t) phases were determined by using the X-ray diffraction (XRD). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine for significant differences of translucence upon different sintering processes (α=0.05). RESULTS: The mean, standard deviation of TP were 3.22±0.12 for SRHP, 3.14±0.18 for SIHS, 3.04±0.17 for SRHR, 2.94±0.18 for SRHS, 2.93±0.17 for SIHR, 2.67±0.15 for SIHP, 1.91±0.17 for SDHP, 1.34±0.21 for SDHR and 0.10±0.01 for SDHS. Spectral translucence was significantly affected by altering sintering temperatures and holding times (p<0.05). Enlargement of grain size and increasing t→m phase metamorphosis related with upraising sintered temperatures and extending sintered holding times were signified. CONCLUSIONS: Altering sintering parameters affected spectral translucence of zirconia. Upraising sintered temperature to SR and prolonging sintering time to HP were advocated to enhance spectral translucence of nano-crystal monolithic zirconia, and advised to accomplished aesthetic appearance of restoration in clinical practice. Key words:CAD-CAM, sintering process, translucency, zirconia.