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This study aimed to investigate the effect of surface roughness (polished vs. CAD/CAM milling simulation) on impact strength of five dental ceramics for manufacturing CAD/CAM monolithic restorations. Specimens of five ceramics (FC- feldspathic glass-ceramic; PICN- polymer-infiltrated ceramic-network; ZLS- zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate glass-ceramic; LD- lithium disilicate glass-ceramic; YZ- yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal ceramic) to be tested under impact (15×10×2mm3; n= 15) were divided into two groups, according to surface treatment: polishing (pol) and grinding (gri) as CAD/CAM milling simulation. Impact strength was tested using the Dynstat method. Roughness, topographic, fractographic and finite element analyses were performed. The impact strength data were analyzed by Weibull, and Pearson correlation was used to correlate roughness and impact strength data. The CAD/CAM milling simulation led to significantly (p<0.05) greater roughness (Ra and Rz) and statistically reduced the impact strength for PICN (polPICN= 4.59 to griPICN= 1.09; ±76% decrease), for LD (polLD= 17.69 to griLD= 10.09; ±43% decrease) and for YZ (polYZ= 74.99 to griYZ= 20.67; ±72% decrease) ceramics; and also promoted a more irregular topography with scratches and grooves. Fractographic and FEA analyses depicted the origin of failure at the higher stress concentration side during the impact test, where the pendulum impacted. The CAD/CAM milling simulation significantly decreased the impact strength of the evaluated ceramic materials.

It aims on evaluate the effect of the test environment on static fatigue behavior of lithium disilicate-based (LD), and yttrium oxide-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramics. Specimens of LD (IPS e.max CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent) and YSZ (IPS e.max ZirCAD MO, 3 mol% Y2O3, Ivoclar Vivadent) were randomly allocated into three groups: tested in air, inert (paraffin oil, Sigma Aldrich) or distilled water. The static fatigue test (n=15) was performed using a piston-on-three ball assembly, adapted from ISO 6872, as follows: starting load 100 N for LD and 300 N for YSZ; loading application time set to 1 hour for each loading step; step size of 50 N for LD and 100 N for YSZ, applied successively until fracture. Data from static fatigue strength (MPa) and time to fracture (hours) were recorded. Fractographic analysis was executed. Survival analysis corroborates absence of influence of environment on static fatigue outcomes (fatigue strength, time to fracture and survival rates) for YSZ. For LD, specimens tested in air presented statistically superior survival rate and static fatigue strength (p= 0.025). In regards of time to fracture, LD tested in air were superior than when tested in distilled water (p=0.019) or inert (p=0.017) environments. No statistical differences for Weibull modulus were observed. Failures started on the tensile stress surface. Thus, the test environment did not affect slow crack growth (SCG) mechanisms during static fatigue test of YSZ ceramics, but it plays a significant role for the static fatigue behavior of lithium disilicate-based glass ceramics, indicating a high susceptibility to SCG.

It evaluated the effect of aging by Low Temperature Degradation (LTD), executed after post- processing surface treatments (polishing, heat treatment and glazing), on the surface characteristics (micromorphology and roughness) and on the structural stability (phase transformation and mechanical behavior-flexural strength and structural reliability) of a ground yttrium-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) ceramic. Discs of Y-TZP (VITA In-Ceram YZ) were manufactured (ISO:6872-2015; 15 mm in diameter and 1.2 ± 0.2 mm in thickness) and randomly assigned into 10 groups according two factors: "aging" in 2 levels (with or without) and "surface treatment" in 5 levels (Ctrl: as-sintered; Gr: grinding with coarse diamond bur; Gr + HT: grinding plus heat treatment; Gr + Pol: grinding plus polishing; Gr + Gl: grinding plus glazing). Roughness (n=30), biaxial flexural test (n=30), phase transformation (n=2), and surface topography (n=2) analyses were performed. Aging led to an intense increase in monoclinic (m) phase content for all the tested conditions, being the as-sintered samples (Ctrl= 65.6%) more susceptible to the t-m phase transformation. Despite of increasing the m-phase content, aging was not detrimental for characteristic strength (except to the grinding condition). There was no significant reduction in the Weibull modulus after surface treatments. Additionally, heat treatment and glazing after grinding led to a decrease in characteristic strength, while polishing presented the highest characteristic strength values. Thus, polishing is mandatory after grinding the Y-TZP ceramic, while performing glazing or heat-treatment alone after grinding lead to the worst mechanical performance.

This study aimed to investigate slow crack growth (SCG) behavior of a zirconia ceramic after grinding and simulated aging with low-temperature degradation (LTD). Complementary analysis of hardness, surface topography, crystalline phase transformation, and roughness were also measured. Disc-shaped specimens (15 mm Ø × 1.2 mm thick, n = 42) of a full-contour Y-TZP ceramic (Zirlux FC, Amherst) were manufactured according to ISO:6872-2008, and then divided into: Ctrl - as-sintered condition; Ctrl LTD - as-sintered after aging in autoclave (134°C, 2 bar, 20 h); G - ground with coarse diamond bur (grit size 181 μm); G LTD - ground and aged. The SCG parameters were measured by a dynamic biaxial flexural test, which determines the tensile stress versus stress rate under four different rates: 100, 10, 1 and 0.1 MPa/s. LTD led to m-phase content increase, as well as grinding (m-phase content: Ctrl - 0%; G - 12.3%; G LTD - 59.9%; Ctrl LTD - 81%). Surface topography and roughness analyses showed that grinding created an irregular surface (increased roughness) and aging did not promote any relevant surface change. There was no statistical difference on surface hardness among different conditions. The control group presented the lowest strength values in all tested rates. Regarding SCG, ground conditions were less susceptible to SCG, delaying its occurrence. Aging (LTD) caused an increase in SCG susceptibility for the as-sintered condition (i.e. G < G LTD < Ctrl < Ctrl LTD).

This study aimed to investigate the effect of grinding and multi-stimuli aging on the fatigue strength, surface topography and the phase transformation of Y-TZP ceramic. Discs were manufactured according to ISO-6872:2008 for biaxial flexure testing (diameter: 15 mm; thickness: 1.2 mm) and randomly assigned considering two factors "grinding" and "aging": C- control (as-sintered); CA- control + aging; G- ground; GA- ground + aging. Grinding was carried out with coarse diamond burs under water-cooling. Aging protocols consisted of: autoclave (134°C, 2 bars pressure, 20 hours), followed by storage for 365 days (samples were kept untouched at room temperature), and by mechanical cycling (106 cycles by 20 Hz under a load of 50% from the biaxial flexure monotonic tests). Flexural fatigue strengths (20,000 cycles; 6 Hz) were determined under sinusoidal cyclic loading using staircase approach. Additionally, surface topography analysis by FE-SEM and phase transformation analysis by X-ray Diffractometry were performed. Dixon and Mood methodology was used to analyze the fatigue strength data. Grinding promotes alterations of topographical pattern, while aging apparently did not alter it. Grinding triggered t-m phase transformation without impacting the fatigue strength of the Y-TZP ceramic; and aging promoted an intense t-m transformation that resulted in a toughening mechanism leading to higher fatigue strength for as-sintered condition, and a tendency of increase for ground condition (C < CA; G = GA). It concludes that grinding and aging procedures did not affect deleteriously the fatigue strength of the evaluated Y-TZP ceramic, although, it promotes surface topography alterations, except to aging, and t-m phase transformation.

This study aimed to characterize and compare the effect of different aging regimens on surface characteristic (topography and roughness), structural stability (phase transformation) and mechanical performance (Weibull analysis) of a Y-TZP ceramic. Discs (15 × 1.2 mm; VITA In-Ceram YZ) were prepared according to ISO 6872-2015 for biaxial flexural strength testing and randomly assigned into five groups (n = 30): as-sintered, no aging treatment (CTRL); 20 h in autoclave at 134°C, 2 bar pressure (AUT); intermittent mechanical loading at 20 Hz/106 load pulses (MechLoad); AUT followed by MechLoad (AUT+MechLoad); and storage in distilled water at 37°C, for 1 year (STO). The following analyses were performed: roughness (n = 30), surface topography (n = 2), phase transformation (n = 2) and biaxial flexure strength (n = 30). Phase transformation (increase of m-phase content) was shown to be a spontaneous, unavoidable and time-dependent process, occurring even under ambient conditions (dry storage after 1 year = 6.0% increase), and is considerably accelerated in the presence of moisture (STO = 17.6%; AUT= 63.1%; and AUT+MechLoad = 59.9%). For roughness parameters, only Ra was affected by aging, and the highest values were observed for AUT+MechLoad (0.25 ± 0.07 µm). For Weibull analysis, structural reliability (Weibull moduli) and characteristic strength were not impaired after aging, and some aging conditions led to increased values (highest weibull moduli in AUT, and highest characteristic strength in STO). Phase transformation proves to be a time-dependent spontaneous mechanism that is accelerated in the presence of different stimuli. However, none of the aging regimens had a negative effect on the characteristic strength and structural reliability of Y-TZP ceramic.