Survival of zirconia- and metal-supported fixed dental prostheses: a systematic review

A selection of abstracts of clinically relevant papers from other journals. The abstracts on this page have been chosen and edited by John R. Radford.

Abstract

There is increased chipping of the ceramic veneers used to restore zirconia core bridges when compared with those on porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) bridges.

Main

Heintze SD, Rousson V. Int J Prosthodont 2010; 23: 493–502.

This systematic review only examined chipping of ceramic and core fracture in fixed bridges with zirconia or metal alloy cores. Such data that is available would suggest, regardless of core material, there are fewer such failures with single unit crowns. The investigators were unable to find any studies that examined chipping and core failure in PMF bridges only. Thirteen studies have reported such failures in zirconia bridges. Only two studies (one published in abstract form only) compared the performance of both core materials (mean observational period = 3 years). Theses found that zirconia bridges chip more than PFM bridges. No core fracture was reported in PFM bridges and in only 1% of zirconia bridges. The authors suggest prolonged cooling during the last firing cycle may minimise veneer chipping in zirconia prostheses.