The Effect of Sintering Procedures on Fit and Color in Zirconia Crowns

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of various sintering procedures on the color parameters, marginal, and internal fit of zirconia crowns. Materials and Methods: Overall, 60 zirconia crowns were produced using 3 distinct zirconia blocks (Wieland Zenostar, Zirkonzahn Ice Translucent, and Zirkonzahn Prettau). For the sintering procedure of the crowns, six groups were created as follows: Wieland-Standard, Wieland-Speed, Ice-Standard, Ice-Speed, Prettau-Slow, and Prettau-Standard programs. The crowns were assigned into groups (n = 10 in each group). The color parameters, marginal fit, and internal fit of the crowns were evaluated. The normality of data distribution was evaluated with the Kolmogrov-Smirnov test. Two independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare the sintering groups. Results: Acceleration of sintering caused a significant change in the color parameters of the Wieland and Ice groups but not in the Prettau group. In the Wieland group, marginal (p = .047) and internal (p = .004) gap values of speed sintering were found to be significantly lower than those in standard sintering. In the Ice group, the marginal gap values of speed sintering were found to be significantly lower than those in standard sintering (p = .019). In the Prettau group, the marginal gap values of standard sintering were found to be significantly higher (p = .035) than those in slow sintering. Conclusions: It was concluded that the effects of sintering procedures on color parameters, and internal and marginal fit of zirconia crowns were clinically insignificant. Speed sintering can be recommended for zirconia restorations.