Servet Gülsüm CEYLAN, Musa Samil AKYIL
Meandros Medical and Dental Journal - 2026;27(1):141-148
Objective: The effects of hydrothermal aging on the flexural strength and translucency of different monolithic zirconia materials of different sintering protocol applied were investigated. Materials and Methods: Three different monolithic zirconia materials, Perfit-FS (PFS), Katana STML (KST) and Katana UTML (KUT), were used. A total of 72 disc-shaped specimens (1.2 mm) were produced. KST and KUT specimens were subjected to high-speed sintering protocol (1560 dereceC, 90 minutes). Half of the specimens were subjected to the aging treatment. The aging process was performed in an autoclave at 134 dereceC under 2 bar for 5 hours, in accordance with ISO 13356 standards. Translucency was evaluated with a spectrophotometer, surface topography analyzed by FESEM, and biaxial flexural strength assessed through the piston on three ball test. Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA, Bonferroni and Tamhane tests. Results: The translucency values of unaged PFS were lower than those of KST and KUT materials and were statistically significant. Flexural strength values of the non-aged materials were similar. The flexural strength of KST significantly increased after hydrothermal aging in comparison with the non-aged group. In contrast, the aged PFS showed significantly lower translucency and flexural strength relative to the non-aged group. PFS showed significantly reduced flexural strength relative to KST and KUT in the aged material group. Conclusion: Hydrothermal aging exhibited material-dependent effects on the flexural strength and translucency characteristics of monolithic zirconia materials. KST showed increased strength after aging, while a significant decrease in the mechanical and optical characteristics of PFS was observed.
