Abstract
Dental ceramics has undergone changes in the composition to improve its strength and potential to withstand physiologic occlusal forces applied in the posterior region. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the clinical behavior of zirconia posterior fixed partial dentures (FPDs) from the analysis of prospective clinical studies with a minimum three-years observational period. A systematic review of literature was performed by searching the PubMed database for English-language publications, published from 2004 to 2014, using the following keywords and their combinations: 'fixed partial denture' OR 'dental prosthesis' OR 'dental porcelain' OR 'FPD' AND 'zirconia'. The search resulted in 282 articles, 20 full-text were analyzed and eight articles were selected for revision. Zirconia systems used were Lava (3M ESPE), Cercon (DeguDent), and Denzir (Cad.esthetics), cemented with resinous, glass ionomer and zinc-phosphate oxide cement. A total of 199 patients (241 prostheses) were examined, though a 3-7 years period. Of these FPD, eight had fracture of the zirconia framework, veneering ceramic fracture occurred in 41 FPD and 17 had loss of retention and debonding; 17 abutment teeth developed secondary caries, 3 fractured and nine required endodontic treatment. The survival rate of FPDs ranged from 73.9% to 100%. In conclusion, zirconia is an adequate material for use in the posterior region, but more studies are needed for fully understand the reason for chipping of the veneering porcelain. To avoid cementation failures, it is recommended to strictly follow the manufacturer's instructions and pay attention to proper dental preparation.
Keywords:
fixed partial denture; ceramics; survival; review