The 1st Expertise Dental Technology Congress

Dental technician Andreas Kunz and PD Dr. Bogna Stawarczyk gave a joint presentation. "We dental technicians must engage with the scientific data. Only then will our work be respected by dentistry," said Andreas Kunz . Bogna Stawarczyk addressed, among other things, the various luting materials and their chemical bonding to zirconium oxide. Acidic monomers modified with phosphate groups, as well as the well-known MPD monomer, can chemically bond to zirconium oxide. Basically, all self-adhesive luting composites contain these acidic monomers. Conventional luting materials also use intermediate bonding agents—silanes or primers—which neutralize the acidic monomers.

Material science: zirconium oxide

Another interesting topic was zirconium oxide. Zirconia is not zirconium oxide! Even if the material often comes from the same raw material supplier, the qualities can differ due to the pressing and sintering parameters. “The sintering parameters are often firmly integrated into the sintering furnace and are not known to the user,” criticized Andreas Kunz. “And especially with the 1st and 2nd generation of zirconium oxide, the optical but also the mechanical properties of zirconium oxide can be strongly influenced,” emphasized PD Dr. Stawarczyk.

Fixed prosthetics

ZTM Vincent Fehmer and Dr. Stefan Hicklin spoke about “Fixed Prosthetics: Evidence-Based Concepts”. Clear statement: VMK technology is still the gold standard. The all-ceramic concepts must be able to measure themselves against this. The main problem is the veneering ceramic, the solution to which could result in monolithic concepts. However, these are not yet evidence-based. “There is much to suggest that the monolithic supply can work if the processing parameters are adhered to,” says Vincent Fehmer.

ZT Carsten Fischer and Dr. Peter Gehrke spoke about the cleaning and hygiene of implant prosthetic components. By definition, abutments are medical devices and are classified as semi-critical or critical according to RKI guidelines. However, it has been proven that there can be contamination on implant abutments that jeopardize long-term stable results. For the treatment team, this means that all implant components should be cleaned according to a professional protocol. Pure evaporation or cleaning with alcohol does not adequately meet these requirements. The speakers presented a validated cleaning protocol that results in a clean and hygienically perfect abutment surface. The discussion sparked the explosive question of whether the individual implant prosthetic component had to be sterilized in the laboratory and, if so, what happens to the bonded zirconium oxide cap during treatment in the autoclave. According to Peter Gehrke, there is a risk that the material could be degraded as a result.