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Do you know your ceramics? Part 1: classification

British Dental Journal volume 232, pages 27–32 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

This is the first part of a six-part series exploring the main ceramic materials used for the fabrication of all-ceramic, indirect restorations to aid clinicians in their selection. We have detailed the history of how dental ceramics were introduced and how they have been revolutionised with the help of improvements within technology and understanding of the material. Dental ceramics can be classified in a few ways. One way is according to their ratio of glass to crystalline content and the other is how it is processed. Having a good in-depth understanding of this will allow clinicians to make the best decision for their patients who require ceramic restorations. This article aims to explore all the above to aid clinicians in making that decision.

Key points

  • Highlights the various ceramic classification systems.

  • Explains the various ceramic processing techniques.

  • Compares the differences between the different processing techniques.

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Acknowledgements

Fine Art Studio Dental Lab, Birmingham produced the ceramic work in all images and we thank them for all of their support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Associate Dentist, West Midlands, UK

    Mojgan Talibi

  2. Dental Core Trainee in Restorative Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Wales, UK

    Kiran Kaur

  3. Clinical Lecturer in Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Birmingham, UK; Clinical Lead, Oakville Dental, Birmingham, UK; Clinical Lead, Sutton Dental Care, Sutton Coldfield, UK

    Hussein S. Patanwala

  4. Owner and Ceramist, Fine Art Dental Studio, Birmingham, UK

    Hit Parmar

Authors
  1. Mojgan Talibi
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  2. Kiran Kaur
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Contributions

Mojgan Talibi: co-author, conceptualisation, drafting and editing of the manuscript to create the final version, photographing images and producing figures. Kiran Kaur: co-author, conceptualisation, drafting and editing of the manuscript to create the final version and referencing. Hiten Parmar and Hussein Patanwala: supervisors and reviewing the manuscript. Mojgan Talibi and Kiran Kaur contributed equally towards this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mojgan Talibi.

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Talibi, M., Kaur, K., Patanwala, H. et al. Do you know your ceramics? Part 1: classification. Br Dent J 232, 27–32 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-021-3818-x

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