Abstract
The use of dental glaze and shades on all-ceramic materials is crucial to achieve sufficient levels of aesthetics for restorations. However, their biocompatibility and impact on the oral environment remains a topic of limited research. The purpose of this experiment is to explore any potential cytotoxicity caused by the use of extrinsic staining on dental ceramics, using an In-Vitro methodology. Surface characterisation materials for glass-ceramics and zirconia were assessed. A variety of 8 group combinations of glaze and stains were applied onto glass-ceramic specimens (Celtra, n=7, e.max, n=4) and Zirconia specimens (Katana, n=7). Following the fabrication, the treated specimens were allowed to leach potential ions into serum-free media for 72 hours. LDH assay was used to test the cytotoxicity produced using human gingival fibroblast or human dermal fibroblasts. Based on the results from the pilot study using the e.max materials, a positive correlation was found between the cytotoxicity and the application of extrinsic glazing and staining procedures. The p value of 0.005 was lower than the threshold we set at 0.05, which provided evidence for the cytotoxicity. The results for the Katana and Celtra were disregarded due to complications during the methodology.
It can be concluded that cytotoxicity to cells was caused by the application of external glaze and shades. This was due to an increased amount of LDH released following contact with the media containing leached ions from the surface of the treated specimens. However, further research must be conducted to gain greater knowledge on this subject area.