Ultra translucent zirconia: a literature review

Abstract

The objective of this work was to carry out a literature review, to discuss the limitations and efficiency of ultra-translucent zirconia, be it in aesthetics, resistance and rehabilitation of remaining remnants. The chosen design was a narrative literature review. The search for articles was carried out digitally, in the Virtual Health Library, Scientific Electronic Library Online and Google Scholar databases, using the following descriptors: dental ceramics; rehabilitation; zirconia; dental prosthesis; crowns. The literature indicated that factors such as color, translucency, fluorescence, surface texture and shape are decisive when choosing a dental ceramic. Because of this, zirconia has been widely used to manufacture dental prosthetics, whether single crowns or fixed partial dentures, due to its high fracture toughness. 5-YSZ zirconia (stabilized by 5 mol% yttria), characterized by zirconia crystals not only stabilized in the tetragonal shape, but also in the cubic shape, which has greater translucency and consequently presents a more favorable aesthetics. To overcome the shortcomings of ceramic systems on the market, ultra-translucent dental zirconia emerged. Among the advantages described, mechanical properties that are superior to traditional dental ceramics stand out. On the other hand, its flexural resistance was described as low, as it was the ceramic with the lowest flexural resistance among the zirconia generations, yet it can be recommended for both anterior and posterior aesthetic restorative procedures.