Fit of metal ceramic crowns cast in Au-1.6 wt% Ti alloy for different abutment finish line curvature

Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the fit of metal ceramic crowns cast in Au-1.6 wt% Ti alloy and investigate the effect of abutment finish line curvature on the fit of crowns. Methods Three types of finish line curvature abutments were prepared (1, 3 and 5 mm-curvature). For each type of abutment, five metal ceramic crowns of the facial veneered type were fabricated, which were cast in Au-1.6 wt% Ti alloy. Used as controls, another fifteen specimens were made from a commercially available gold alloy. The fit was measured in the as-cast and after porcelain application. Results In the as-cast specimens, the greater the finish line curvature was, the larger the gaps exhibited at the mesial and distal margins of copings, compared with labial and lingual margins. The distal margin of copings for 5 mm-curvature abutments showed the largest gap (35 (7) μm). After porcelain application, the greater was the finish line curvature, the larger the labial marginal gap became (mean 44, 34, 25 μm, respectively, for 5, 3, 1 mm-curvature). However, there was no significant difference on marginal gaps between specimens of Au-1.6 wt% Ti alloy and control gold alloy. Significance This study indicated that the metal ceramic crowns cast in Au-1.6 wt% Ti alloy had equivalent accuracy to those that cast in control gold alloy, and the abutment finish line curvature had a significant effect on the marginal fit of metal ceramic crowns.