The article reviews the advancements in dental zirconia materials and processing technologies over the past 15 years. The primary objective is to help the dental materials community understand the key properties of different types of zirconia and their clinical applications. The review covers a wide range of topics, including the microstructure, powder technology, compaction/consolidation methods, sintering techniques, and post-sintering treatments. Key findings include: - The current approach to improving zirconia translucency involves decreasing alumina content and increasing yttria content, leading to materials with more than 50% cubic phase and reduced mechanical properties. - The market trend is towards producing CAD/CAM disks with more fracture-resistant 3Y-TZP at the bottom layers and more translucent 5Y-PSZ at the top. - Newer generations of zirconia layered blocks have improved powder compaction technology, addressing flaws between layers. - Significant advancements have been made in zirconia processing technologies, but there is still room for improvement, especially in high-speed sintering and additive manufacturing. The review also discusses the historical aspects of dental zirconia, the evolution of microstructures, and the development of partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) with varying yttria contents. It highlights the trade-offs between mechanical properties and translucency, and the challenges in achieving optimal performance in both areas. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding zirconia material science for optimal design and application in dental prosthetics.The article reviews the advancements in dental zirconia materials and processing technologies over the past 15 years. The primary objective is to help the dental materials community understand the key properties of different types of zirconia and their clinical applications. The review covers a wide range of topics, including the microstructure, powder technology, compaction/consolidation methods, sintering techniques, and post-sintering treatments. Key findings include: - The current approach to improving zirconia translucency involves decreasing alumina content and increasing yttria content, leading to materials with more than 50% cubic phase and reduced mechanical properties. - The market trend is towards producing CAD/CAM disks with more fracture-resistant 3Y-TZP at the bottom layers and more translucent 5Y-PSZ at the top. - Newer generations of zirconia layered blocks have improved powder compaction technology, addressing flaws between layers. - Significant advancements have been made in zirconia processing technologies, but there is still room for improvement, especially in high-speed sintering and additive manufacturing. The review also discusses the historical aspects of dental zirconia, the evolution of microstructures, and the development of partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) with varying yttria contents. It highlights the trade-offs between mechanical properties and translucency, and the challenges in achieving optimal performance in both areas. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding zirconia material science for optimal design and application in dental prosthetics.