Leucite-Reinforced Ceramic

Flexural strength can be optimised by changing the ceramic’s composition and processing. Leucite reinforcement is used to modify the glass ceramic’s mechanical behaviour.

Leucite-reinforced ceramic has been evaluated in posterior partial-coverage restorations and inlays or onlays fixed with resin cement.

A laboratory comparison tested leucite-reinforced ceramic alongside feldspathic ceramic, lithium disilicate-reinforced ceramic, and indirect resin-based composite restorations.

In a 14-year clinical evaluation, restorations were fixed either with self-adhesive resin cement or with an etch-and-rinse adhesive followed by resin cement. Recalls took place after two weeks, two years, four years, and 14 years.

Testing has used 2 mm of occlusal reduction, compressive loading, and a three-dimensional finite-element model to compare maximum principal stress and restoration failure risk across materials.