The reliability and fatigue behaviour of three dental CAD/CAM ceramics

OBJECTIVES New CAD/CAM ceramic-based dental prosthesis has become a popular choice for their advantages, e.g. more materials availability, more aesthetics, higher strength and biocompatibility, and saving processing time, in comparison to other kinds of restorations. Measuring their static and dynamic mechanical properties could help dentists to choose and evaluate the appropriate material for specific applications, since the long-term clinical data might not be available when the materials had been launched. Thus, in this study, the reliability and fatigue behaviour of three CAD/CAM dental ceramics were evaluated, and envisaged to reduce the clinical risk of damage for CAD/CAM restorations. METHODS Three CAD/CAM blocks, i.e. zirconia (Cercon, DeguDent, Germany), hybrid ceramics (Enamic, Vita Zahnfabrik, Germany) and lithium disilicate (e.maxCAD, Ivoclar Vivadent, Liechtenstein), were cut, sintered (if necessary according to manufacturers’ instruction), and surface polished (Ra