Polished or glazed 4 mol% yttria-partially stabilized zirconia (4Y-PSZ) and lithium disilicate (LD) dental ceramics are of considerable importance for intraoral use, as they have a major impact on the cytocompatibility and antibiofilm resistance. In this study, two glazes were applied–that is, Arte (Hass Co., Ltd., Gangneung, Gangwon State, Republic of Korea) and Insync (Jensen Dental, North Haven, CT, USA). Subsequently, the human gingival fibroblast (HGF-1) response and biofilm formation of polished versus glazed 4Y-PSZ and LD ceramics were evaluated. For the glazed 4Y-PSZ and LD samples, a low bulk density and water contact angle, essential for biological performance, were evident. Moreover, the viability of the HGF-1 cells was greater than 98% in all samples. The highest cell densities were observed on the Arte-glazed 4Y-PSZ and LD ceramics. Conversely, the Arte-glazed 4Y-PSZ and Insync-glazed LD specimens exhibited the lowest biothickness. The Insync-glazed 4Y-PSZ and Arte-glazed LD samples exhibited the lowest biofilm biomass, indicating improved bacterial resistance compared to the polished samples. Although polishing may be clinically useful as it improves the cell response and reduces biofilm formation, glazing exhibited superior efficacy regardless of the glaze type.

Keywords: Lithium disilicate, Zirconia, Glaze, Cytocompatibility, Biofilm.