Comparative analysis of flexural strength of abraded and polished porcelain surfaces - an in vitro study

Typically, prosthodontists adjust ceramic restorations glazed surface by grinding prior to insertion. Such alterations of surfaces are necessary for the correction of occlusal interferences. We aimed to evaluate and compare the change in flexural strength of ceramic surfaces after re-glazing and polishing. This study included 40 samples of ceramic blocks that were fabricated and glazed, and then fired in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. The sample was randomly divided into four groups of 10 samples each. The first group was the control group with unaltered glazed samples. The second group was abraded with an extra-fine diamond bur followed by re-glazing, and the other two groups were polished with two commercially available polishing kits after abrading them with an extra-fine diamond bur. The samples were tested for their flexural strength using a universal testing machine. On the application of the F test on the means of all the groups, a value greater than 0.05 was found, which meant that there is no statistically significant difference in flexural strength values between the groups (P-value>0.05). Since the flexural strength values of the polished group were comparable to the other groups, polishing can be used instead of re-glazing for ceramic restorations. This reduces an additional clinical appointment for the patient and saves working time.