Alcohol-Containing Mouthwashes and Monolithic Zirconia: A Study on Color Stability and Surface Interaction

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of alcohol content in mouthwashes on the color stability of monolithic zirconia.Materials and Methods: A total of 72 monolithic zirconia samples were fabricated as disks with a diameter of 10 mm and a thickness of 2 mm. The samples were randomly divided into two groups based on surface treatment methods: mechanical polishing and glazing. Following the surface treatments, each group was further divided into three subgroups based on the immersion solution: distilled water, alcoholic mouthwash, and non-alcoholic mouthwash. Color measurements were performed using a spectrophotometer at baseline and after immersion in the respective solutions.Results: Surface treatment significantly influenced color change (F = 17.491, p = 0.001). Similarly, the type of immersion solution had a statistically significant impact on color stability (F = 21.986, p = 0.001), with the solution type exhibiting the largest effect size among individual factors. The interaction between surface treatment and immersion solution also resulted in a statistically significant difference in color change (F = 24.532, p = 0.001).Conclusion: Glazed surfaces demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in color change regardless of the mouthwash content, ensuring clinically acceptable color stability. However, alcohol-containing mouthwashes were associated with surface wear, leading to greater color deterioration over time.