[Strength and transparency of dental porcelain consisting of high refractive germanate-glass and alumina crystal].

A translucent aluminous porcelain was developed for dentistry. The effects of refractive indexes and sintering behaviors on transparency and strength of the aluminous porcelains consisting of high refractive germanate-glass (Na2O-TiO2-GeO2) and alumina crystal powders were examined. The various germanate-glass specimens with a high refractive index were made by fusion at about 1,300 degrees C. The refractive indexes of fused Na2O-TiO2-GeO2 glass specimens were 1.64-1.76, heightened with an increasing TiO2 content. The sintered aluminous porcelains were made from the mixed compacts consisting of 80 wt% germanate-glass and 20 wt% alumina at the densification temperature of 580-820 degrees C. Sintered aluminous porcelains prepared with high refractive germante-glass had a high transparency compared with the other aluminous porcelains, with almost the same transparency as a commercial feldspathic porcelain (body). Aluminous porcelains had lower transparency with different refractive index due to generation of crystals following the crystallization of glass matrix than that without crystallizing property. Bending strength value was 120 MPa, which is similar to that for the glass-alumina ceramics with the same content of alumina volume as germanate-glass aluminous porcelains. Non-crystallized aluminous porcelain had a higher strength compared with the crystallized one.