SYNTHESIS OF BIOCOMPATIBLE PORCELAIN POWDERS OBTAINED FROM CERAMIC RAW MATERIALS IN SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Ceramics is one of the most important materials in human civilization. Its socioeconomic impact can be associated with its chemical and physical properties which are directly related with its applications in diverse areas of life. Dental ceramics can be described as materials that are part of systems designed with the purpose of producing dental prostheses that in turn are used to replace missing or damaged dental structures, on the basis of badly broken teeth, primary trauma, tooth wear, and aesthetics. The required Dental porcelain powders used in Dental clinics as at today are imported at exorbitant price even though the required raw materials for production are very much available locally. This research therefore focused on developing biocompatible ceramics porcelain powders that can be suitable as substitutes for damaged and decayed tooth using indigenously sourced materials. Feldspar deposits from Okpella in Edo State and Ijero in Ekiti State were sourced and characterized using X-Ray Diffractometry XRD to further reveal its micro structural properties as a Bioceramic material. Different dental porcelain powder recipes were adapted from the standard triaxial white ware blend of ceramic porcelain, with emphasis directed to dental porcelain on the ternary diagram showing 90% percentage concentration of composition made of feldspar. Dental porcelain body recipes were eventually composed from the feldspar deposits, and fired at temperature not greater than 1150oC. The molten form was doused in cold water to arrest leucite formation and make soluble silicates insoluble. Alloy bonding test was conducted on the composed dental porcelain powders using a vacuum furnace and a Nickel / Chromium alloy respectively. The result showed the ability for opaque and translucent dental porcelain powders to bond successfully with Nickel / Chromium alloy by covering the metal’s dark colouration without any thermal stress at room temperature. In-Vitro Biocompatibility test was conducted by culturing a dental plague at 37oC for 72hrs on a sintered dental porcelain product and cleaned with a Fluoride reagent. Viewing the result on a microscope at 100x (Oil Immersion), the dental porcelain showed an equivalent biocompatibility with the natural human teeth. Mechanical property test like wear resistance was carried out using abrasion test machine while micro hardness tester was used to test the micro hardness of the produced dental porcelain crown. The dental porcelain displayed a suitable wear resistance value at 0.067. The research confirmed the ability of indigenous feldspathic material in composing biocompatible porcelain powders, that is suitable for making dental prosthesis in dental clinics across the nation.