The effect of cement thickness on the fracture strength of all-ceramic crowns

The effect of increasing cement thickness on the fracture strength of aluminous porcelain jacket crowns was investigated in this study. Thirty-three aluminous porcelain jacket crowns were divided into three groups. In Group 1, only platinum foil was used to provide cement space. In Group 2 two layers and Group 3 four layers of die spacer were painted onto the metal die before impression taking. Each crown was cemented onto a metal die with zinc phosphate cement and loaded until fracture. The maximum force to break each crown was recorded. The average fracture load was 408 N for Group 1,365 N for Group 2 and 324 N for Group 3. ANOVA (SPSS) found a significant difference (p < 0.05) between groups. A Scheffe Test revealed a significant difference between Groups 1 and 3. It was concluded that increasing the cement thickness above 70 microns reduced the fracture strength of porcelain jacket crowns.