Zirconia-based restorations often fracture from chipping and/or delamination of the porcelain veneers. We hypothesized that veneer chipping/delamination is a result of the propagation of near-contact-induced partial cone cracks on the occlusal surface under mastication. Masticatory loading involves the opposing tooth sliding along the cuspal inner incline surface with an applied biting force. To test this hypothesis, we cemented flat porcelain-veneered zirconia plates onto dental composites and cyclically loaded them (contact–slide–liftoff) at an inclination angle as a simplified model of zirconia-based restorations under occlusion. In light of in situ observation of damage evolution in a transparent glass/zirconia/polycarbonate trilayer, post mortem damage evaluation of porcelain/zirconia/composite trilayers by a sectioning technique revealed that deep-penetrating occlusal surface partial cone fracture is the predominant fracture mode of porcelain veneers. Clinical relevance is discussed.
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