Influence of coloring techniques on the surface characteristics and color stability of a monolithic zirconia ceramic

Statement of problem. The color of monolithic zirconia restorations is obtained by presintering or postsintering coloring techniques. However, studies on the differences in surface characteristics and their influence on color stability are lacking.Purpose. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the influence of shading and staining techniques for a zirconia ceramic on the surface characteristics and colorimetric parameters (color difference, translucency, and whiteness index) after exposure to coffee or red wine and then polishing.Material and methods. Ceramic disks (N=30; & empty;10x1mm) were allocated into 3 groups: preshaded-shaded by the manufacturer (IPS e.max ZirCAD MT, shade A2); manually shaded-unshaded zirconia (IPS e.max ZirCAD MT, bleaching shade-BL) colored by the brushing technique, before sintering; stained-unshaded zirconia (IPS e.max ZirCAD MT BL) colored by the staining technique, after sintering. Spectrophotometric color assessments ensured the same initial perceived color (Vita Classical A2) for specimens included in the study ( Delta E-00<1.77 acceptability threshold). Surface characteristics were assessed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The specimens were immersed in coffee (n=5) or red wine (n=5) for 12 and 24 days and subsequently polished. The data were statistically and descriptively analyzed for color differences (Delta E-00), translucency parameters (TP00), and whiteness indexes for dentistry (WID), considering acceptability and perceptibility thresholds.Results. The shaded groups found an irregular ceramic surface with uniformly sized zirconia crystals. The stained group found a glass-covered smoother surface. Significant alterations in color parameters (Delta E-00, TP00, WID) were observed with immersion in pigmenting beverages (P<.001) both after 12 days, and after 24 days. The shaded specimens had greater color alterations after immersion but benefited from the polishing procedure, which reduced color differences below an acceptable threshold in comparison with the baseline. Stained specimens had lower color alterations after immersion, but the polishing protocol was detrimental as it whitened the ceramic by subsurface exposure.Conclusions. The coloring technique influences the surface characteristics of zirconia ceramic and also the color parameters after exposure to colored beverages and polishing.