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Background. The ceramics industry produces porcelain pastes using a controlled ratio of water and porcelain powder. Two methods are used to produce a dental porcelain paste: one-step mixing or incremental mixing. Objective. To evaluate the optical properties of a feldspathic dental ceramic using two different ceramic paste preparation methods using a Bayesian approach. Materials and Methods. Two groups of feldspathic porcelain discs, an incremental mixing group (n = 40) and a one-step mixing group (n = 40), were assessed. Groups were evaluated using spectrophotometry, and the translucency parameter (TP) of each sample was calculated. Surfaces were characterized by AFM and SEM. Statistical analysis was performed using a Bayesian approach. Results. Translucency parameter values of the incremental mixing group ranged from 1.65 to 3.41, while values for the one-step mixing group ranged from 3.62 to 5.74, this difference being statistically significant. The lowest roughness was obtained on the surface of discs in the one-step mixing group. Conclusions. Feldspathic porcelain with lower translucency and higher roughness was obtained using the incremental mixture method.

This paper uses count and binary data models with an endogenous dummy variable to evaluate the effect of the subsidized health care program in Medellin (Colombia). The subsidized program, which primarily covers poor people, is found to have a significant impact on the use of preventive medical care and hospitalization that might have a negative impact on the financial statements of the program. Specifically, econometric estimations of health care utilization indicate that there is both selection and moral hazard. These facts imply that the program can improve its coverage if mechanisms are created to lower the individual moral hazard effect.