The colour of monolithic zirconia restorations determined by spectrophotometric examination

Objective: The aim of this in vitro study is to examine the optical effects of monolithic zirconia of different translucency and thickness, combined with substrates of different colours. Materials and methods: Zirconia specimens of two colours (A2P1, WHITE) were used for the study, three try-in pastes (Variolink Esthetic); substrates were prepared from nine types of materials (six VITA SIMULATE, three metals). Measurements were carried out at the Faculty of Atomic Physics of the Technical University of Budapest with the state-of-the-art PerkinElmer® Lambda 1050 spectrophotometer. Results: The colouring of zirconia has a major effect on dE values resulting in different colour perceptibility and acceptability. Try-in pastes, however, have no significant effects overall. Conclusion: Applying coloured zirconia is highly eligible for preparing aesthetic crowns as their substrate-covering effect makes it possible to reproduce the desired colour. Uncoloured zirconia nonetheless is unaffected by the substrate material, especially above a certain layer thickness.