Profilometer Assessment of Glass Ceramic Surface Roughness

Objectives: To assess and evaluate changes of glass ceramic surface after different surface treatments and to compare the surface roughness of glass ceramic material following three different treatments quantitatively. Methods: 20 uniformly fabricated specimens of glass ceramic IPS e.max Press disc (2mm thickness x10 mm in diameter) had been prepared to undergo different surface treatments and divided into 4 categories. Each category had 5 specimens as the first category act as control which was without surface treatments as prepared in the lab; second category treated by using air borne particle abrasion with aluminium oxide at 2 bar pressure for 20 seconds; third category treated with 5% hydrofluoric acid etching for 20 seconds; and the last category treated first by using air borne particle abrasion with aluminum oxide at 2 bar pressure and followed by 5% hydrofluoric acid etching for 20 seconds each. 5 surfaces of each specimen were assessed under profilometer to measure its roughness. Results: There were significant differences between control group and surface treatment groups while between the surface treatment groups there were no significant differences among each other. Conclusion: Various surface treatments gave almost similar roughening effects to the glass ceramic.