Casting accuracy of a nickel and beryllium-free cobalt-chromium alloy for crown and bridge prostheses and resin-bonded bridges.

In the 1970's economic factors dictated the development of alternatives to gold alloys in dentistry in the USA and in Europe. A similar development has not occurred in Sweden because of different laws. Alloys that contain nickel and beryllium present a health hazard and are therefore of little interest to the Swedish market. A review of the literature shows that castings of base-metal alloys are less accurate than castings of conventional gold alloys and of low gold alloys. However, in long-span-bridges and in thin resin-bonded cast restorations, their physical and mechanical properties are superior to those of the gold alloys. In this study the casting accuracy of a nickel- and beryllium-free cobalt-chromium alloy, Neobond II Special, is investigated. Neobond II Special was found to be less accurate than Sjödings C-guld. The marginal discrepancies of the castings were small, however, when the castings were oversized. It also proved to be technique sensitive to conventional dental laboratory procedures. Thus, it seems difficult to get castings with an acceptable retention as well as small marginal discrepancies when using the base-metal alloy.