Optical properties of repaired additively manufactured resin composites and zirconia and subtractively manufactured ceramics: a comparative study of composite resins.

Objective: This study aims to examine color properties of repairs made with various composites on restorations produced through additive-manufactured resin composites (AM-RC) and zirconia (AM-Z) or subtractive manufacturing (SM) after coffee thermocycling (CTC).

Materials And Methods: Disk-shaped specimens (Ø10 × 2 mm; N = 120) were fabricated using six different material groups: additively manufactured resin composite (AM-RC) materials (Crowntec [C], NextDent [ND]), additively manufactured zirconia (AM-Z) materials (Lithoz [LI], INNI-Cera [IN]), and subtractively manufactured (SM) materials (CEREC Tessera [ALD], Vita Enamic [EN]). Subsequently, each group was further subdivided into two subgroups (n = 10) based on the type of repair using two different composites resins: Clearfil Majesty Posterior (CL) (n = 60) and Filtek Z350 (FZ) (n = 60). Specimens underwent thermal cycling (CTC), consisting of 10,000 cycles between 5 °C and 55 °C. Color measurements were performed both before and after thermal cycling for all materials. Color discrepancies (ΔE00) and relative translucency parameters (RTPs) were calculated. Statistical analyses were conducted at a significance level of α = 0.05.

Results: A one-way ANOVA of ΔE00 values between CL and FZ revealed a significant difference (P = 0.007), with FZ exhibiting higher ΔE00 values. Significant differences in ΔE00 values were also observed among IN, C, and ND after CTC (P < 0.05). ALD demonstrated the lowest amount color change (P < 0.05). LI and EN colors showed no significant difference (P = 0.75). Following CTC, C, ND, and IN colors matched CL. In contrast, ALD, EN, and L colors exhibited significant differences (P ≤ 0.050). FZ showed a poor color match with all AM and SM materials. Furthermore, significant differences in RTP values were identified for all specimens (P < 0.001), with LI having the highest RTP and IN the lowest (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The optical properties of composite and ceramic materials, as well as their stability over time, are crucial for their durability. ALD demonstrated the most consistent color stability. While the CL repair composites experienced some color changes, these changes remained within acceptable limits. Additionally, the LI (AM-Z) material exhibited the highest level of translucency.