Fatigue of full crown monolithic CAD/CAM restorations for posterior teeth

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study is to estimate the fatigue life of five polycrystalline zirconia CAD/CAM ceramic materials used for posterior restoration. This study presents the first time methodology to translate raw data obtained from laboratory test into useful data to predict the clinical life of dental restoration. Methods A typical model for the first molar restored crown is built and transferred into finite element software ANSYS 18.1 flor execution FEA. The materials are: two Y-TZP zirconia (LAVA (LVs), and EVEREST (KVs); IPS e.max CAD; Suprinity PC; and Celtra Duo. Two types of loads are applied, axial load and axial load followed by the sliding motion of lower jaw. The fatigue resistance of various restorative materials is determined. Results Experimental findings show that all the samples have fractured between cusps at the same location, which is slightly off the symmetry fissure plane. For crowns made of LAVA and EVEREST, the life is longer than 10 years under an axial load of 1000 N, while the lives for IPS e.max CAD; Suprinity PC; and Celtra Duo were longer than 10 years under an axial load of 185 N. The life of all-ceramic crown materials was predicted by FEA and found to conform to previous experimental and clinical observations. Conclusion Crowns made of Y-TZP zirconia has superior fatigue resistance compared to other ceramic CAD/CAM materials.