Effects of veneering porcelain thickness and background shade on the shade match of zirconia-based restorations

Background. Effects of veneering porcelain thickness and background shade on the shade match of zirconia-based restorations are unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impacts of veneering porcelain thickness and background shade on the shade match of zirconia-based restorations. Methods. Forty A2 shade veneered zirconia disk specimens (10 mm in diameter) were fabricated, with veneering porcelain thicknesses of 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 mm. Three backgrounds were made of A2 shade composite resin (A2), nickel-chromium alloy (NC) and amalgam (AM). The veneered zirconia specimens were placed on the backgrounds. CIELab values were measured with a spectrophotometer. ΔE values were measured to determine color differences between the specimens and the A2 VITA classical shade (target shade). ΔE values were compared with an acceptability threshold (ΔE=3.7). Repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni, and 1-sample t-test were used to analyze data (P<0.05). Results. Mean ΔE values ranged between 1.9 and 5.0. The veneering porcelain thickness, the background shade and their interaction affected the ΔE (P<0.0001). The minimum veneering porcelain thickness for the shade match was 2 mm for NC and 1.8 mm for AM. Conclusion. Veneering porcelain thickness and background shade affected the shade match of zirconia-based restorations. With dark-shaded backgrounds, the amount of veneering porcelain thickness needed for the shade match might be beyond acceptable clinical limits. Tooth-shaded backgrounds are esthetically advocated rather than dark-shaded backgrounds in zirconia-based restorations.