Microtensile Bond Strength and Impact Energy of Fracture of CAD-Veneered Zirconia Restorations

Purpose: With state-of-the-art CAD/CAM technology, the fabrication of large and complex zirconia frameworks is just a click away. On the other hand, veneering of the frameworks is still operator-dependent. The aim of this work was to evaluate CAD veneering of zirconia restorations in terms of zirconia veneer bond strength and impact energy of fracture in a step towards complete automation of the fabrication process. Materials and Methods: A new CAD/CAM system was used to fabricate a resin replica of the esthetic ceramic required to veneer a zirconia framework. The replica was seated on the zirconia framework and further processed using press-on technology. The bond strength between zirconia and the CAD veneer was evaluated using microtensile bond strength test. The impact energy of fracture of the specimens was also investigated. Manually layered zirconia specimens served as a control (alpha = 0.05). Results: There was no significant difference in the microtensile bond strength between zirconia and either of the used veneers (39 MPa). Even though the impact energy of fracture of the CAD-veneered and manually layered specimens was almost identical (0.13 J), the former demonstrated a cohesive fracture of the veneer, while the latter failed by delamination of the veneer ceramic. Conclusion: CAD veneering is a reliable method for veneering zirconia restorations.