Four sorts of zirconia dental ceramic systems including Cercon smart, Lava, Porcera, and CEREC 3 were studied to analyze fracture mechanism of different CAD/CAM zirconia ceramic. In each system, 12 sectioned specimens were prepared, 6 specimens were taken as controlled group, 6 as experimental group. Quasi-statistic loading before and after cyclic loading was applied at the veneer surface of the specimen. Deformation and crack initiation were monitored with camera in order to carry out digital image correlation (DIC) analysis. The results showed that median cracks were observed under the yielding zone. Specimens fractured along the core/veneer interface with the crack growth. No cone crack was confirmed and fracture only existed in veneer layer. After cyclic loading there were no significant differences for the four ceramic systems in terms of the critical load, while significant differences existed in terms of the fracture load. Both critical load and fracture load were lowered after cyclic loading. After cycling loading, the 4 tested zirconia CAD/CAM ceramic possess high fracture strength to meet the requirement for oral functions. The fracture modes of the four zirconia ceramic systems indicate that the strength of the veneer should be enhanced.
Comparative fracture strength analysis of Lava and Digident CAD/CAM zirconia ceramic crowns
