The effect of cement thickness on the fracture strength of all‐ceramic crowns

Abstract

The effect of increasing cement thickness on the fracture strength of aluminous porcelain jacket crowns was investigated in this study. Thirty-three aluminous porcelain jacket crowns were divided into three groups. In Group 1, only platinum foil was used to provide cement space. In Group 2 two layers and Group 3 four layers of die spacer were painted onto the metal die before impression taking. Each crown was cemented onto a metal die with zinc phosphate cement and loaded until fracture. The maximum force to break each crown was recorded. The average fracture load was 408 N for Group 1,365 N for Group 2 and 324 N for Group 3. ANOVA (SPSS) found a significant difference (p < 0.05) between groups. A Scheffe Test revealed a significant difference between Groups 1 and 3. It was concluded that increasing the cement thickness above 70 μm reduced the fracture strength of porcelain jacket crowns.