Scanning acoustic microscopy study of titanium-ceramic interface of dental restorations

Failures that occur in titanium-ceramic restorations are of concern in clinical dentistry. The purpose of this study was to nondestructively characterize the internal cracks and nonadherent defects at the titanium-porcelain interface using scanning acoustic microscopy. Titanium samples coated with porcelain without a bonding agent, with sputter coated palladium or chromium as an oxygen diffusion barrier on the titanium, and with the use of a porcelain bonding agent (control group) were compared. The scanning acoustic microscopy analyses were correlated with four-point bending test results. The group that was initially coated with palladium had fewer interfacial defects and a higher load to failure than the control group, and the group that did not contain the bonding agent had a higher void area and a lower load to failure than the control group. The use of chromium produced no differences from the control group. Samples after a four-point bending test were also analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The scanning electron microscopy was not able to characterize interfacial defects at the fractured titanium-ceramic interface for some of the samples. The validity of nondestructive analysis at the Ti-ceramic interface using scanning acoustic microscopy was demonstrated in this study.