Comparison of the surface roughness of feldspathic porcelain polished with a novel alumina-zirconia paste or diamond paste.

This study compared the surface roughness of feldspathic porcelain polished with newly developed alumina-zirconia pastes or diamond paste. Porcelain discs were prepared and polished with sandpaper using a polishing-machine. The surface roughness (Ra) of each sample was measured using a profilometer. The samples were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=10). The control group was polished with diamond paste (DP), and the five remaining groups were polished with the newly developed alumina-zirconia paste with the following ratios of glycerin:alumina:zirconia by weight: 1:0.5:0.5 (Z0.5), 1:0.5:0.75 (Z0.75), 1:0.5:1 (Z1), 1:0.5:1.5 (Z1.5), and 1:0.5:2 (Z2). The specimens were polished for 120 s. The Ra values were determined again and the surface morphology of the porcelain samples was analyzed using SEM. The Ra values decreased as the amount of zirconia in the polishing paste increased, except for the Z2 group. The surface roughness as observed by SEM showed a correlation with the Ra values.