Effect of different surface treatments on color and translucency of two different ceramic materials (an invitro study)

BACKGROUND: Surface treatment enhances bonding to ceramic restorations but may alter their optical properties. Lithium disilicate and zirconia respond differently to surface treatments due to variations in their microstructure. This study evaluated how sandblasting, hydrofluoric acid with silane, and laser treatment affect the color stability and translucency of these ceramics. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to evaluate the individual and combined effects of ceramic material type and surface treatment on the color stability and translucency of lithium disilicate and zirconia ceramics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: , (H.F); hydrofluoric acid etching with silane coupling agent, (L.A); laser treatment. Each subgroup from each material was undergoing color and translucency test using spectrophotometer. The data were statistically analysed using a Two-Way ANOVA, followed by multiple pairwise comparisons using Tukey's HSD for each individual factor. RESULTS: Among the tested surface treatments only laser showed color change within the clinical accepted range with lithium disilicate ceramic (1.04 ± 0.15), also hydrofluoric acid etching with silane application showed that with zirconia (0.41 ± 0.10). Sandblasting showed the lower translucency value with lithium disilicate and zirconia ceramic with a significant difference with the control samples (p value ˂0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Surface treatments affected the optical properties of both ceramics in a material-dependent manner. Laser conditioning preserved color acceptably in lithium disilicate, while hydrofluoric acid with silane did so for zirconia. Sandblasting significantly reduced translucency in both materials, indicating its potential to compromise esthetic outcomes.