Performance of zirconia ceramic cantilever fixed dental prostheses: 3-year results from a prospective, randomized, controlled pilot study

Andreas Zenthöfer; Brigitte Ohlmann; Peter Rammelsberg; Wolfgang Bömicke

doi:10.1016/j.prosdent.2015.02.006

Performance of zirconia ceramic cantilever fixed dental prostheses: 3-year results from a prospective, randomized, controlled pilot study

J Prosthet Dent. 2015 Jul;114(1):34-9. doi: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2015.02.006. Epub 2015 Apr 14.

Authors

Andreas Zenthöfer¹, Brigitte Ohlmann², Peter Rammelsberg³, Wolfgang Bömicke⁴

Affiliations

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, University Hospital Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
² Associate Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, University Hospital Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Director, Department of Prosthodontics, University Hospital Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
⁴ Assistant Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, University Hospital Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: Wolfgang.Boemicke@med.uni-heidelberg.de.

PMID: 25882973
DOI: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2015.02.006

Abstract

Statement of problem: Little is known about the clinical performance of ceramic cantilever fixed dental prostheses on natural teeth.

Purpose: The purpose of this randomized controlled pilot study was to evaluate the clinical performance of ceramic and metal ceramic cantilever fixed dental prostheses (CFDPs) after 3 years of service.

Material and methods: Twenty-one participants were randomly allocated to 2 treatment groups. Participants in the ceramic (ZC) group (n=11) each received 1 CFDP made of yttria-stabilized, tetragonal zirconia polycrystal; the others (n=10) were fitted with a metal ceramic (MC) CFDP. All CFDPs were retained by 2 complete crown abutments and replaced 1 tooth. The clinical target variables were survival, incidence of complications, probing pocket depth (PPD), probing attachment level (PAL), plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and esthetic performance as rated by the participants. The United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria were used to evaluate chipping, retention, color, marginal integrity, and secondary caries. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric analyses were applied to the target variables in the 2 groups. The esthetic performance of the CFDPs was also visualized by using a pyramid comparison.

Results: The overall survival of the CFDPs was 100% in both groups. During the 3-year study, 6 clinically relevant complications requiring aftercare were observed among 5 participants (4 in the ZC group and 2 in the MC group). Changes in the PI, GI, PPD, and PAL of the abutment teeth were similar for both groups (P>.05). The participants regarded the esthetic performance of ZC-CFDPs and MC-CFDPs as satisfactory.

Conclusions: Within the 3-year observation period, the clinical performance of MC-FDPs and ZC-FDPs was acceptable. More extensive research with larger sample sizes is encouraged, however, to confirm the evaluation of the survival of Y-TZP hand-veneered cantilever FPDs.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Ceramics / chemistry*
Cohort Studies
Dental Abutments
Dental Caries / classification
Dental Marginal Adaptation
Dental Materials / chemistry*
Dental Plaque Index
Dental Restoration Failure
Denture Design*
Denture Retention / instrumentation
Denture, Partial, Fixed*
Esthetics, Dental
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Male
Metal Ceramic Alloys / chemistry
Middle Aged
Periodontal Attachment Loss / classification
Periodontal Index
Periodontal Pocket / classification
Pilot Projects
Prospective Studies
Prosthesis Coloring
Survival Analysis
Yttrium / chemistry*
Zirconium / chemistry*

Substances

Dental Materials
Metal Ceramic Alloys
yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia
Yttrium
Zirconium