Purpose: This study aimed to present the clinical applicability of restorations fabricated by a new method, by comparing the bond strength of between ceramic powder with different coefficient of thermal expansion and alloys fabricated by Selective laser sintering (SLS).
Materials and methods: Fifty Co-Cr alloy specimens (25.0 × 3.0 × 0.5 mm) were prepared by SLS and fired with the ceramic (8.0 × 3.0 × 0.5 mm) (ISO 9693:1999). For comparison, ceramics with different coefficient of thermal expansion were used. The bond strength was measured by three-point bending testing and surfaces were observed with FE-SEM. Results were analyzed with a one-way ANOVA (α=.05).
Results: The mean values of Duceram Kiss (61.18 ± 6.86 MPa), Vita VM13 (60.30 ± 7.14 MPa), Ceramco 3 (58.87 ± 5.33 MPa), Noritake EX-3 (55.86 ± 7.53 MPa), and Vintage MP (55.15 ± 7.53 MPa) were found. No significant difference was observed between the bond strengths of the various metal-ceramics. The surfaces of the specimens possessed minute gaps between the additive manufactured layers.
Conclusion: All the five powders have bond strengths higher than the required 25 MPa minimum (ISO 9693); therefore, various powders can be applied to metal structures fabricated by SLS.
Keywords: Bond strength; Coefficient of thermal expansion; Dental technique; Rapid prototyping; Selective Laser Sintering.