• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.514-523
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• 2004

Statement of problem: All-ceramic restorations have been advocated for superior esthetics. Various post and core systems have been used to improve the strength of damaged teeth, but it is unclear whether they affect the final shade of finished all-ceramic restorations. Purpose: The influence of different types of post and core systems on light transmission through all-ceramic crowns was assessed by spectrophotometric analysis. Also the masking effect of different thickness of ceramic ingot was evaluated. Material and Methods : Forty-five sample disks (15mm in diameter) at several thickness(1.0, 1.5, 2.0mm) and value(shade 100, 200, 300) were made in heat pressed ceramic(IPS-Empress). Background specimens simulating gold-alloy cast posts(Type III casting gold alloy), metal posts(Ni-Cr casting alloy) and ceramic posts(CosmoPost) were fabrica-ted. Resin composite(Z250, A3 shade) was used as a tooth substrate reference. For each combination, the change in color was measured with a spectrophotometer. Readings were performed for 2 conditions (1) ability of ceramic to mask the core in relation to its thickness(1.0, 1.5, or 2.0mm) ; (2) influence of post and core types on the final color of the ceramic. Data were recorded according to the CIE $L^*a^*b^*$ systems and color difference($\Delta$E) was calculated. Results: 100 shade ingot: when ceramic thickness was 1.0mm, $\Delta$E value for ceramic post larger than 1 but $\Delta$E value for metal and gold post was larger than 2. For ceramic thickness of 1.5mm, only $\Delta$E value for metal was larger than 2, and the other samples' $\Delta$E value was smaller than 2. For ceramic thickness of 2.0mm, $\Delta$E values for all specimens was smaller than 2. 200 shade ingot: when ceramic thickness was 1.0mm, $\Delta$E value for ceramic post was smaller than 1 but $\Delta$E value for metal and gold post was larger than 2. For ceramic thickness of 1.5 mm, only the $\Delta$E value for metal was larger than 2, and the other samples' $\Delta$E value was smaller than 2. For ceramic thickness of 2.0mm, $\Delta$E values for all specimens was smaller than 1. 300 shade ingot: when ceramic thickness was 1.0mm, only $\Delta$E value for metal was larger than 2 and the other samples' $\Delta$E value was smaller than 2. For ceramic thickness of 1.5mm, $\Delta$E values for all specimens was smaller than 1. For ceramic thickness of 2.0mm, $\Delta$E values for all specimens was smaller than 1. Conclusion: The final esthetic result of the IPS-Empress glass-ceramic restoration was not affected by the presence of different core materials when the thickness was more than 2.0 mm. When ceramic thickness decreases to 1.5mm, it is advised to take the substrate aspects into consideration. If the ceramic thickness is less than 1.0mm, using the tooth color matched substrate is strongly recommended.