Effect of thickness of externally characterized stains on optical properties of high-translucency zirconia

Objectives: There is insufficient information about the effects of the thickness of externally characterized stains or glazes on CIELAB color parameters and the translucency parameter (TP) of 5 mol% yttria partially stabilized zirconia (5Y-PSZ). The present study evaluated the effect of a thickness reduction of the externally characterized or glazed layer on its CIE2000 color parameters and TP00 of 5Y-PSZ. Materials and methods: Twenty-eight specimens were sectioned from 5Y-PSZ blanks. Three brands of powdered stains (namely VI, SH, and IV) and a glaze (GL) were used to extrinsically stain the specimen surfaces (n = 7 per group). After measuring the final thickness and color, specimens of each group were carefully ground and finally polished. The reduced thickness was carefully controlled in decrements of 0.02 mm on the characterized stains or glazed layers at each reduction cycle until the surface of the un-stained zirconia was exposed. The CIELAB color parameters of specimens were measured using a spectrophotometer. Subsequently, differences in lightness (∆L′), chroma (∆C′), and hue (∆H′), and TP00 values and color differences (ΔE00) were calculated using the CIEDE2000 formula to determine differences between the specimen and the un-stained zirconia at each reduction cycle. A paired-samples t-test, two-way mixed-design analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data (α = 0.05). Results: There were no significant differences in lightness, chroma, hue, or TP00 values before or after glazing or after each reduction cycle of the glazed layer. Mean ΔE00 values ranged between 20.94 and 33.55 after applying the externally characterized stains. With a decreased thickness of the characterized stain layer, there were observed that significant decreases in ∆L′, ∆H′, ∆C′, and ΔE00, and significant increases in TP00. Conclusions: Increasing the thickness of externally characterized stains decreased the lightness and caused the alternation of chroma and hue, whereas these phenomena were not observed in the glazed group. There was a slight change of CIE2000 color parameters and TP00 when the thickness of the characterized layer exceeded 0.06 mm. Clinical relevance: The application and thickness of externally characterized stains can sensitively affect CIE2000 color parameters and translucency of 5Y-PSZ.