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Lithium Disilicate Cementation — ORE Part 1 MCQ

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HardDental MaterialsLithium Disilicate CementationORE Part 1

A vital premolar has a short clinical crown and is restored with a definitive monolithic lithium-disilicate crown. Which luting approach is most appropriate to maximise retention?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

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Correct answer: CResin cement after hydrofluoric-acid etching and silanisation

**A is correct.** A short clinical crown gives limited resistance and retention form, so the restoration should gain retention through adhesive bonding. Lithium disilicate is an etchable glass ceramic: hydrofluoric-acid conditioning followed by silane treatment supports bonding of the ceramic to resin cement. Studies of IPS e.max lithium-disilicate crowns report greater retention with adhesive resin-cement systems than with zinc phosphate, and laboratory studies show improved lithium-disilicate resin bond strength after hydrofluoric acid and separate silane treatment. Zinc phosphate, zinc polycarboxylate and conventional glass-ionomer cements are plausible routine crown lutes, but they do not provide the same adhesive contribution needed here. Zinc oxide-eugenol is a temporary cement and is unsuitable for definitive luting.

Reference: Johnson GH, Lepe X, Patterson A, Schäfer O. Simplified cementation of lithium disilicate crowns: Retention with various adhesive resin cement combinations. Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28967395/