The Study On Color Properties And Light Transmittance Of Artglass Material

Identified by the manufacturer (Heraeus/Kulzer) as a nonconventional dental polymer, Artglass has been on the market since 1995.It had enamel like wear resistance and pleasing esthetic qualities. Furthermore, it can be fabricated without complex laboratory procedures. Artglass was used in clinical from 1995 in home and have got good effect.Artglass veneers are widely used on cast restorations and discolored tooth. To get good appearance, the color and translucency of the prosthetic restorations must be identical with other tooth. Some studies have reported that the color of composite resin is affected by the background environment. These studies suggest that the light transmittance characteristic, which is one of the optical properties of the composite resin, may play an important role on the color of the composite resin. Now we know the transmittance of the composite resin is affected by many factors , include thickness, shades, light wavelengths .submersion in water ,the filler particle size and temperature etc. So, the purposes of this study were to evaluate the effect of different thickness and the use of opaque resin on the light transmittance and the color values of Artglass.The study was composed of two parts: one part is about the lighttransmittance of the specimens with different thickness, and the effect of opaque resin on the light transmittance. Laser and a digital colorimeter were used for measurement; another part is about the color values of the specimens with different thickness and the effect of opaque resin on the color values. The color values of the specimens on the CIE L*a*b* color system were determined by a digital colorimeter.The conclusions are as follows:1) The light transmittance of Artglass decreased logarithmically as the thickness of the Artglass increased.2) The opaque resin can reduce the opacity of Artglass apparently.3) The opaque resin can increase the values of L*a*b* of Artglass. The effect will disappear until the thickness reach 2.50 mm.4) The Artglass' value of infinite optical thickness was 2 .75 mm.5) As the thickness of Artglass increased, values of L*a*b* decreased on white background.