Effect of surface and heat treatments on the biaxial flexural strength and phase transformation of a Y-TZP ceramic.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of grinding and airborne-particle abrasion on the biaxial flexural strength (BFS) and phase transformation of a Y-TZP ceramic, and examine whether sintering the veneering porcelain renders the previous heat treatment recommended by the manufacturer unnecessary.

Materials And Methods: Lava zirconia specimens (N = 108) were obtained with the following dimensions: 14.0 mm diameter × 1.