Title

Comparative evaluation of fracture toughness between zirconia and lithium disilicate ceramics: An in vitro study

Authors

N. Simhachalam Reddy¹*, Divya Bekkem¹, Duggineni Sreenivasulu¹, Addugala Hemavardhini¹, J Lakshmi Sowjanya² & B. Chandra Obula Reddy¹

Affiliation

¹Department of Prosthodontics, G Pulla Reddy Dental College And Hospital, G P R Nagar, Nandyal Road, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India; ²Department of Prosthodontics, Kamineni Institute of Dental Sciences, Narketpally, Sreepuram, Nalgonda, Telangana, India; *Corresponding author

Email

N. Simhachalam Reddy - E-mail: chalam2chalam@gmail.com
Divya Bekkem - E-mail: drdivyaramireddy720@gmail.com
Duggineni Sreenivasulu - E-mail: Srivasmds@gmail.com
Addugala Hemavardhini - E-mail: hema.addugala@gmail.com
J Lakshmi Sowjanya - E-mail: sowjanya.jinka96@gmail.com
B. Chandra Obula Reddy - E-mail: Chandrabhumi98@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received November 15, 2025; Revised December 15, 2025; Accepted December 15, 2025, Published December 15, 2025

Abstract

Fracture toughness is a critical determinant of long-term success in all-ceramic restorations, yet comparative data between major ceramic systems remain limited. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate and compare the fracture toughness of yttria-stabilized zirconia and lithium disilicate ceramics. Forty CAD/CAM-fabricated specimens were tested using Vickers indentation and fracture toughness was calculated via the indentation fracture method. Zirconia showed significantly higher fracture toughness (408.61 ± 44.21 MPa·m¹/²) and hardness than lithium disilicate (359.40 ± 19.00 MPa·m¹/²) (p < 0.0001). Zirconia demonstrates superior crack resistance compared to lithium disilicate, supporting its use in high-stress clinical applications.

Keywords

All-ceramic restorations; fracture toughness; lithium disilicate; vickers indentation; zirconia; mechanical properties

Citation

Reddy et al. Bioinformation 21(12): 4796-4802 (2025)

Edited by

Hiroj Bagde

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.