Making Yttria-stabilized Tetragonal Zirconia Translucent

Overview

Journal Dent Mater

Specialty Dentistry

Date 2014 Sep 7

PMID 25193781

Citations 126

Authors

Yu Zhang

Affiliations

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Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to provide a design guideline for developing tetragonal yttria-stabilized zirconia with improved translucency.

Methods: The translucency, the in-line transmission in particular, of 3mol.% yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (3Y-TZP) has been examined using the Rayleigh scattering model. The theory predicts that the in-line transmission of 3Y-TZP can be related to its thickness with grain size and birefringence the governing parameters. To achieve a threshold value of translucency, the critical grain size of 3Y-TZP was predicted for various thicknesses (0.3-2.0mm). The threshold value was defined by a measured average in-line transmission value of a suite of dental porcelains with a common thickness of 1mm. Our theoretical predictions were calibrated with one of the very few experimental data available in the literature.

Results: For a dense, high-purity zirconia, its in-line transmission increased with decreasing grain size and thickness. To achieve a translucency similar to that of dental porcelains, a nanocyrstalline 3Y-TZP structure was necessitated, due primarily to its large birefringence and high refractive index. Such a grain size dependence became more pronounced as the 3Y-TZP thickness increased. For example, at a thickness of 1.3mm, the mean grain size of a translucent 3Y-TZP should be 82nm. At 1.5mm and 2mm thicknesses, the mean grain size needed to be 77nm and 70nm, respectively.

Significance: A promising future for zirconia restorations, with combined translucency and mechanical properties, can be realized by reducing its grain size.

Citing Articles

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