Color stability of pressed lithium disilicate ceramics under repeated firings evaluated by different methods.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine and compare color differences of pressed lithium disilicate ceramic specimens after repeated firing cycles. An additional objective was to determine and evaluate correlation of CIEDE2000 values analyzed by X-Rite Color i5 Spectrophotometer, VITA EasyShade Advance 4.0 and Adobe Photoshop.

Material and methods: Tile specimens (N=36) with 8 x 10 x 1.5mm dimensions were prepared by IPS e.max Press lithium disilicate MT Monochromatic ingots and IPS e.max Multi Press lithium disilicate Multichromatic ingots. Specimens were exposed to 7 repeated firing cycles. Color analysis was performed after the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 7th firing cycles. CIE L*a*b* values were measured by X-Rite Color i5 Spectrophotometer, VITA EasyShade Advance 4.0 and Adobe Photoshop. CIE DE*2000 (ΔE*00) was calculated to estimate color differences.

Results: Linear regression and multiple comparison analysis (Tukey's HSD test) showed a statistically significant (p<.001) color difference ΔE*00 after multiple firing cycles. Statistically significant differences (p<.05) were also noted in different shade groups and between different instruments used for shade evaluation. Moreover, significant differences (p<.05) were found in interactive effects between different shades tested by different instrument, different shades tested after multiple firing cycles and different instruments after multiple firing cycles.

Conclusions: Lithium disilicate material shows significant color differences after repeated firing cycles tested by three color analysis instruments. Measuring instruments used to evaluate CIE L*a*b* color values showed significant differences in color values analysis, which may lead to altered level of interpretation, particularly to determine perceptibility and clinical acceptability thresholds.