The effect of graded glass-zirconia structure on the bond between core and veneer in layered zirconia restorations

Objective: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that a graded glass-zirconia structure can strengthen the core-veneer bond in layered zirconia materials.

Methods: A graded glass-zirconia structure was fabricated by infiltrating glass compositions developed in our laboratory into a presintered yttria tetrahedral zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) substrate by the action of capillary forces. The wettability of the infiltrated glass and Y-TZP substrate was investigated by the sessile drop technique. The microstructures of the graded glass-zirconia structure were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The phase structure characterization in the graded glass-zirconia structure were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The elastic modulus and hardness of the graded glass-zirconia structure were evaluated from nanoindentations. Further, the shear bond strength (SBS) of the graded glass-zirconia structure and veneering porcelain was also evaluated.

Results: SEM images confirmed the formation of the graded glass-zirconia structure. Glass frits wet the Y-TZP substrate at 1200 °C with a contact angle of 43.2°. Only a small amount of t-m transformation was observed in as-infiltrated Y-TZP specimens. Nanoindentation studies of the glass-zirconia graded structure showed that the elastic modulus and hardness of the surface glass layer were higher than those of the dense Y-TZP layer. The mean SBS values for the graded glass-zirconia structure and veneering porcelain (24.35 ± 0.40 MPa) were statistically higher than those of zirconia and veneering porcelain (9.22 ± 0.20 MPa) (P<0.05).

Conclusions: A graded glass-zirconia structure can be fabricated by the glass infiltration/densification technique, and this structure exhibits a strong core-veneer bond.