Influence of Abutment Materials on the Resultant Color of Heat-pressed Lithium Disilicate Ceramics

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of abutment materials on the color of IPS Empress 2 ceramic coping with different thicknesses. Ceramic coping specimens (12.0×12.0×0.8-2.0 mm) were fabricated from IPS Empress 2 material (Ingot-100, n=5/ group) . Abutment specimens were fabricated from a build-up composite, a gold alloy, or a silver-palladium alloy. Color was evaluated using a colorimeter according to the CIE L^*a^*b^* system. The L^*a^*b^* values of the ceramic coping specimens of different thicknesses on each abutment specimen were measured. Following which, the color difference (ΔE^*ab) values between the ceramic coping specimens on various abutment specimens were calculated. Significant differences in ΔE^*ab value were observed among different abutment specimens at certain ceramic coping thicknesses (P<0.05). Thus, it was concluded that the color of IPS Empress 2 coping material was influenced significantly by both the thickness of the coping and the color of the abutment material.