Objectives: To observe porcelain veneer behavior of zirconia and metal-ceramic full coverage crowns when subjected to compression testing, comparing zirconia cores to metal cores. Study Design: The porcelain fracture surfaces of 120 full coverage crowns (60 with a metal core and 60 with a zirconia core) subjected to static load (compression) testing were analyzed. Image analysis was performed using macroscopic processing with 8x and 12x enlargement. Five samples from each group were prepared and underwent scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis in order to make a fractographic study of fracture propagation in the contact area and composition analysis in the most significant areas of the specimen. Results: Statistically significant differences in fracture type (cohesive or adhesive) were found between the metal-ceramic and zirconia groups: the incidence of adhesive fracture was seen to be greater in metal-ceramic groups (92%) and cohesive fracture was more frequent in zirconium oxide groups (72%). The fracture propagation pattern was on the periphery of the contact area in the full coverage crown restorations selected for fractographic study. Conclusions: The greater frequency of cohesive fracture in restorations with zirconia cores indicates that their behavior is inadequate compared to metal-ceramic restorations and that further research is needed to improve their clinical performance. > Key words:Zirconia, zirconium oxide, fractography, composition, porcelain veneers, fracture, cohesive, adhesive.
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