All-ceramic fixed partial dentures and metallic dental implants frequently fail by mechanical fracture under normal mastication because stress corrosion and cyclic fatigue cause subcritical crack growth, which results in strength degradation over time...
All-ceramic fixed partial dentures and metallic dental implants frequently fail by mechanical fracture under normal mastication because stress corrosion and cyclic fatigue cause subcritical crack growth, which results in strength degradation over time. Prediction of the time of failure has historically required a prohibitively large amount of effort. Novel methods for more efficient experimental design and statistical analysis are available to overcome this challenge, but an understanding of the underlying assumptions and the mechanisms of SCG is essential for interpreting the predictions with confidence.