Abstract:
CAD/CAM technology has become more and more popular in dental clinic. In recent years, polymer infiltrated ceramic network (PICN) material have attracted the attention of many dental practitioners owe to its good machinability. The new material shows the interpenetrating morphology of resin and ceramic, and its properties are similar to those of ceramic and composite resin, at the same time, it has its own unique advantage. Compared with the all- ceramic materials (composite resin and all- ceramic materials), the flexural strength of PICN materials ranged from 145 MPa to 336 MPa, which is better than that of composite resin and Feldspar- based machined ceramic materials, but is lower than that of lithium disilicate glass ceramics. In the study of simulating the normal occlusal condition of human beings, PICN materials show excellent fatigue resistance, which is obviously better than the traditional all- ceramic materials including Lithium, Leucite- based and Feldspar- based machined ceramic materials. In addition, Elastic modulus of PICN materials ranged from 25GPa to 88GPa and Vickers hardness value is between 1.7GPa and 4.8GPa, which is close to that of natural dental tissue, indicating that it maybe become a future star of dental materials. It can adjust the mechanical properties by changing the content of components, which is rare in dental all-ceramic materials. At present, PICN is mostly used as single crown restoration in dental clinic, but its long-term effect (≥ 5 years) is rarely seen. A new dental material often takes more than 10 years to be understood and accepted by more dental practitioners. Therefore, the application of PICN is still in the exploratory stage. Based on the analysis of the microstructure, properties and application of PICN, some suggestions are proposed for future research and dental application of PICN materials.