Influence of various fabrication techniques and porcelain firing on the accuracy of metal-ceramic crowns.

Background: The fit of a metal-ceramic restoration is essential to its long-term durability. Regarding marginal and internal fit, there is not enough information about the technologies used in the production of metal-ceramic restorations. The aim of this in vitro study is to compare, both before and after porcelain firing, the marginal, axial, axio-occlusal, and occlusal fit of metal-ceramic restorations manufactured using casting, additive or subtractive computer-aided design, and computer-aided manufacturing techniques (CAD/CAM).

Methods: CAD/CAM were used to create 50 prepared maxillary first molar-shaped Co-Cr die models, which were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 10). Cobalt-chrome copings were produced by casting (C), hard metal milling (HM), soft metal milling (SM), selective laser melting (SLM), and selective laser sintering (SLS) techniques. Before and after porcelain firing, discrepancies of the copings were measured using the silicone replica technique. The data obtained by measurements with a stereomicroscope at x80 magnification were analyzed statistically in the SPSS program. The ROBUST three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was used to compare the discrepancy values.

Results: There were statistically significant differences among fabrication methods (P < .001). The HM method showed the highest discrepancy (90.1 μm), and the C (63 μm) method showed the lowest discrepancy in terms of the die model- crown fit. The C, SLS, and SM methods (63 μm; 61.6 μm; 67.7 μm) were statistically similar (P > .001). The highest discrepancy was observed on the occlusal area (87.1 μm), and the lowest discrepancy was observed on the axial area (47.7 μm) of the coping. Porcelain firing had a decrease in the discrepancy values (P = .001).

Conclusion: All CAD/CAM techniques are appropriate for clinical use; selective laser sintering and soft milling can be the more recommended methods for the compatibility of metal-porcelain restorations, as they have lower discrepancy values than the SLM and HM methods.