Evaluation of mechanical properties of dental zirconia in different milling conditions and sintering temperatures.

Statement Of Problem: The dry processing of zirconia has the disadvantage of dust dispersal during milling; thus, wet milling may be preferable. However, research on the mechanical properties of dental zirconia milled under different conditions and sintered at different temperatures is lacking.

Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate changes in the mechanical properties of zirconia specimens after milling under dry and wet conditions at different sintering temperatures.

Material And Methods: Four hundred Ø20.0×1.5-mm presintered zirconia specimens were prepared by using a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) system and divided into 8 groups (n=50) based on the sintering (1230, 1330, 1430, and 1530 °C) and milling conditions (dry or wet). The mechanical properties (Vickers hardness, biaxial flexural strength, and fracture toughness) and physical properties (linear shrinkage and density) were examined. The microstructures of the specimens were observed with a scanning electron microscope. The crystal phases of the sintered green bodies were analyzed by using an X-ray diffractometer. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and 1-way and 2-way analyses of variance with Tukey HSD tests (α=.05).

Results: The mechanical properties of all specimens increased with increasing sintering temperature, except for 1530 °C and the dry milling condition. The mechanical properties of the groups fabricated under wet milling conditions were better than those of the groups fabricated under dry milling conditions. Microscopic examination of the structure showed that the porosity decreased with increasing sintering temperature regardless of the milling conditions.

Conclusions: Higher sintering temperatures increased the mechanical properties (biaxial flexural strength, Vickers hardness, fracture toughness). However, phase transformation from tetragonal to cubic was observed for dry milled specimens sintered at 1530 °C, with decreased mechanical properties. Specimens fabricated by wet milling exhibited better mechanical properties than those fabricated by dry milling.