Effect of Al₂O₃ Sandblasting Particle Size on the Surface Topography and Residual Compressive Stresses of Three Different Dental Zirconia Grades

• Main Authors: Hee-Kyung Kim, Byungmin Ahn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: zirconium oxide; air abrasion; dental stress analysis; phase transition; surface properties
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/3/610

This study investigated the effect of sandblasting particle size on the surface topography and compressive stresses of conventional zirconia (3 mol% yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal; 3Y-TZP) and two highly translucent zirconia (4 or 5 mol% partially stabilized zirconia; 4Y-PSZ or 5Y-PSZ). Plate-shaped zirconia specimens (14.0 × 14.0 × 1.0 mm³, n = 60 for each grade) were sandblasted using different Al₂O₃ sizes (25, 50, 90, 110, and 125 μm) under 0.2 MPa for 10 s/cm² at a 10 mm distance and a 90° angle. The surface topography was characterized using a 3-D confocal laser microscopy and inspected with a scanning electron microscope. To assess residual stresses, the tetragonal peak shift at 147 cm⁻¹ was traced using micro-Raman spectroscopy. Al₂O₃ sandblasting altered surface topographies (<i>p</i> < 0.05), although highly translucent zirconia showed more pronounced changes compared to conventional zirconia. 5Y-PSZ abraded with 110 μm sand showed the highest Sa value (0.76 ± 0.12 μm). Larger particle induced more compressive stresses for 3Y-TZP (<i>p</i> < 0.05), while only 25 μm sand induced residual stresses for 5Y-PSZ. Al₂O₃ sandblasting with 110 μm sand for 3Y-TZP, 90 μm sand for 4Y-PSZ, and 25 μm sand for 5Y-PSZ were considered as the recommended blasting conditions.