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Impact of water on the fracture behavior of an advanced lithium disilicate
Yuqing Lu1,2, João Paulo Mendes Tribst1, János Kodolányi2
1Reconstructive Oral Care, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Universiteit van Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Objective:
To investigate the influence of water on the monotonic and fatigue strength of a lithium disilicate glass-ceramic.
Methods:
Ninety bar-shaped specimens (1.0 × 1.0 × 12.0 mm) were prepared from Advanced Lithium Disilicate (CEREC Tessera; Dentsply Sirona). Half of the specimens were stored in deionized water (W) at 37 °C for 30 days, while the other specimens stayed dry (D). A three-point bending test was carried out in a dry/wet environment (subgroup d/w) to determine monotonic strength. A stepwise fatigue test was conducted for dry-stored specimens in a dry environment (Dd) and wet-stored specimens in water (Ww).
Results:
For monotonic strength, the testing environment had a significant effect (p < 0.001), whereas the storage environment did not (p = 0.054). Testing in water generated a lower monotonic strength (Dw: 243 ± 35 MPa; Ww: 250 ± 57 MPa) than in a dry environment (Dd: 324 ± 74 MPa; Wd: 376 ± 60 MPa). Wet storage combined with testing in water exhibited similar fatigue strength (Ww: 148 ± 39 MPa) to the group without water intervention (Dd: 152 ± 36 MPa).
Conclusions:
While storage in 37 °C water for 30 days causes ion release from lithium disilicate, it does not decrease its monotonic strength. The compressive loading in water resulted in a degradation of around 30%. The fatigue protocol in this study resulted in about 50% of the initial strength regardless of testing conditions.
