Influences of luting cement shade on the color of various translucent monolithic zirconia and lithium disilicate ceramics for veneer restorations.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of resin cement shade on the color of different novel ultratranslucent monolithic zirconia and lithium disilicate veneer materials.

Materials and methods: For a total of 40 specimens, flat cylindrical discs with a 9-mm diameter and 0.5-mm thickness were created using CAD/CAM technology. The specimens were divided into five groups according to their material (n = 8) (e.max, Prettau, Aidite, Shofu and Dima) using A1 shade. Resin discs with the same diameter and shade as the specimens served as tooth-colored substructures. Three shades (neutral, light and warm) of resin cement try-in pastes (Variolink Esthetic LC) were used as the luting cement material. The color of each material group was measured before and after cementation using the three cement shades, and the CIE L*a*b* coordinates were obtained with a spectrophotometer. Values for the translucency parameter (TP) and color change delta E (E) before (baseline) and after cementation of each specimen were determined. To compare differences among the material groups within each shade of cement and among various shades of cement within each material, the data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and post hoc testing.

Results: Color coordinates L*, a* and b* significantly changed after the application of try-in pastes relative to baseline values, with a noticeable decrease in lightness (L*) (P < .05). A significant color change (ΔE) was observed in all tested materials after cementation, with ΔE values exceeding 3.3 (P < .05). Although TP changed after cementation for most materials tested, these changes were not statistically significant (P > .05). Shofu and Dima ceramics showed the lowest TP values, while Aidite and Prettau showed the highest TP values. For e.max, translucency decreased after cementation with neutral and warm shades, and it significantly increased after cementation with a light shade.

Conclusion: The shade of cement significantly altered the final color of the ceramic veneer material to a level above the threshold at which the clinical perception of color change occurred (> 3.3). The TP was not influenced by the cement shade. The translucency levels of the novel ultratranslucent multilayer monolithic zirconia ceramics Aidite and Prettau were higher than that of the lithium disilicate e.max material.