Available online 24 February 2023

CAD/CAM ceramic restoration color was significantly affected by background color, ceramic type and coping thickness.

TP is a promising parameter for appropriate ceramic selection, independent of ceramic crystallization.

TP is a potential indicator helping dentists to determine the tooth preparation amount over different backgrounds.

To evaluate the effects of background color, ceramic type and coping thickness on masking ability (ΔE) and translucency parameter (TP) of CAD/CAM lithium disilicate glass-ceramic/monolithic zirconia and, to determine the correlations between coping thickness, TP and ΔE.

A total of 120 ceramic specimens (2 mm, 1 mm and 0.5 mm thickness; n = 10) of four CAD/CAM ceramics: IPS e.max, IPS ZirCAD, Upcera Li CAD and Upcera TT CAD, were studied. Specimens were tested over nine fabricated backgrounds: A1, A2, A3.5, ND2 and ND7 shade resin-based composites, cobalt-chromium alloy (CC), medium precious alloy (MPA), black (B) and white (W). CIELab values (L*, a* and b*), color difference (ΔE) and translucency parameter (TP) were measured and calculated using a digital spectrophotometer (color i7, X-Rite, Pantone®). Data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, one-way ANOVA, three-way ANOVA, independent t-tests and Tukey post-hoc tests (p < 0.05).

2 mm CAD/CAM ceramics showed ideal color matching (ΔE<2.6) over different backgrounds, except for CC, B and W backgrounds. Monolithic zirconia had lower ΔE values than lithium disilicate glass-ceramics. ΔE and TP values significantly reduced with the increased coping thickness (p < 0.05). Regardless of ceramic type and thickness, a strong TP-SD of ΔE correlation was observed.

CAD/CAM ceramic restoration color was significantly affected by background color, ceramic type and coping thickness. TP is a promising predictor for appropriate ceramic selection to receive an acceptable CAD/CAM ceramic restoration aesthetic.

Color

Glass-ceramic

Zirconia

Translucency

Coping thickness

© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Academy of Dental Materials.