The zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate ceramic: lights and shadows of a new material

This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties, composition and surface preparation for adhesive bonding of the recently introduced zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate (ZLS) glass-ceramic. One single block of ZLS was used to prepare the specimens (n=14). The fracture toughness (Ft) and the Vickers hardness (HV) were measured on specimens partially crystallized (PCs) (n=4) and fully crystallized (FCs) at 840°C for 8 min (n=4). The surface treatment was done using hydrofluoric-acid gel (HF) at different concentrations and times of action on FCs specimens (n=4). SEM-EDX was used to test elemental composition and crystalline phases (n=2). The new ZLS glass-ceramic showed significantly higher values of HV and Ft for FCs, PCs showed a brittle behavior. The surface etching should be made using HF at 4.9% for 20 s.