Influence of veneer pore defects on fracture behavior of bilayered lithium disilicate glass-ceramic crowns.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the conditions under which fabrication pore defects within veneering porcelain in bilayered lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (LDG) crowns will influence and jeopardize the mechanical integrity of the structure. METHODS: Thirty standardized molar crowns (IPS e.max Press) were fabricated and microCT scanned to 3D-analyze the size, morphology and distribution of pores in veneering porcelain, followed by in vitro fracture test and SEM fractographic observation. Finite element analysis (FEA) of the microCT reconstructed models was used to evaluate the stress state. RESULTS: The volumes of pores in samples ranged from 3241mum(3) to 1.29x10(9)mum(3) with the equivalent radius between 10mum to 680mum. Deviation of sphericity of pores ranged from 0.10 to 0.81 and the average of 99.97% pores was near 0.63. For the smaller pores their distribution tended to be uniform, while the larger pores were irregular with elongated ellipsoidal form and located at or near the veneer-core interface. During wedge loading blunt contact fracture testing 21 crowns failed from the fissure on the occlusal surface, of which 16 failed from surface or near surface pores, 2 from the midpoint of the oblique ridge, and 7 from larger interfacial pores. FEA analysis indicated that defects were detrimental to veneer integrity only in regions of tensile stress and where the pore radius associated with crack initiation ranged from 30 to 50mum. Pore morphology appeared to have only a minor effect on fracture. SIGNIFICANCE: Within the limitation of the microCT resolution and FEA, it suggests that pores radius large than 30-50mum and located in the tensile stress area like grooves and fissures on the occlusal surface or near surface as well as cervical margins of veneering porcelain will jeopardize the bilayered structure and mechanical integrity of LDG.