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Purpose: This in vitro study investigated the marginal adaptation and fracture resistance
of heat-pressed glass-ceramic and fiber-reinforced composite molar crowns luted with
resin, resin-modified glass-ionomer, or zinc-oxide-eugenol–free cements. Materials and
Methods: A total of 24 heat-pressed all-ceramic and 24 glass fiber–reinforced composite
crowns were constructed and cemented using the above-mentioned luting agents (eight
crowns per cement). The restorations were thermocycled and mechanically stressed, and
fracture resistance was determined. Marginal adaptation was evaluated before and after
stress application using semiquantitative analysis in a scanning electron microscope.
Results: All-ceramic and fiber-reinforced composite crowns reached the highest fracture
resistance after stress application in combination with the resin cement. When luted with
resin-modified glass-ionomer or zinc-oxide-eugenol–free cements, the fracture resistance
of all-ceramics decreased significantly, while the fiber-reinforced composite crowns
maintained their fracture resistance level; the lowest values were found for zinc-oxideeugenol
–free cements. The marginal adaptation remained unchanged after stress for allceramics
and fiber-reinforced composite restorations if they were luted with resin
cements. Luting with resin-modified glass-ionomers significantly deteriorated the
marginal adaptation after stress application, with the exception of the crown-cement
interface of all-ceramics. Conclusion: The highest fracture resistance and marginal
adaptation were found for all-ceramic and glass fiber–reinforced composite molar crowns
if they were luted with resin cement. Int J Prosthodont 2003;16:538–542.
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