Objectives: This in vitro study was aimed to investigate the attachment, spreading and proliferation of human gingival fibroblasts to milled and polished non‐veneered ceramic surfaces in alumina and zirconia and to ceramic surfaces veneered by two different types of porcelain baseliners.

Materials and methods: Fibroblasts were cultured on discs of pressed alumina or zirconia, on discs which had been milled, on discs comprising alumina or zirconia which had been polished, on discs of alumina veneered with NobelRondo baseliner Al, on discs of zirconia veneered with Cercon‐S baseliner, and on alumina or zirconia discs veneered with the above baseliners and then polished. The surfaces were analyzed using an optical interferometer and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cell profile areas were measured using SEM and an image analyzer. Cell attachment was determined after 3 and 24 h as a ratio of the cell profiles and the total micrograph area and was expressed as percent of attachment. MTT analyses were undertaken to determine cellular attachment after 3 h of incubation and cellular proliferation after 7 days.

Results: The polished zirconia specimens had the smoothest surface in terms of average height deviation ( S a =0.03 μm): the roughest were the zirconia specimens with milled surfaces ( S a =0.36 μm). The application of the baseliners resulted in surfaces smoother than those of the non‐veneered discs. The milled surfaces of both alumina and zirconia had significantly higher percentages of cell attachment and proliferation than the other surfaces whereas the milled surfaces in zirconia demonstrated better cellular attachment after 3 and 24 h of culture than the one in alumina. Fibroblasts attached and grew effectively on the surfaces veneered with NobelRondo throughout the experiments, whereas the zirconia surfaces veneered with Cercon‐S had the lowest percentage of cell attachment and proliferation.

Conclusions: Although the roughness of all surfaces investigated was <0.4 μm, the study disclosed significant differences in cellular attachment and proliferation associated with the various surface modifications.