Complications of fixed full-arch implant-supported metal-ceramic prostheses

Abstract

We aimed to assess the biological and mechanical-technical complications and survival rate of implants of full-arch metal-ceramic prostheses, during five years of follow-up. 558 implants (of three different brands) retaining 80 full-arch metal-ceramic prostheses were placed in 65 patients, all of whom were examined annually for biological and mechanical-technical complications during the five years of follow-up. Descriptive statistics and univariate logistic regression were calculated. The cumulative survival rate of the implants was 99.8%, and 98.8% prosthesis-based. Mucositis was the most frequent of the biological complications and peri-implantitis was recorded as 13.8% at restoration-level, 16.9% at patient level and 2.0% at implant level. An implant length greater than 10 mm was shown to be a protective factor against biological complications. The mechanical-technical complications were associated with implant diameter, abutment/implant connection and retention system. Loss of screw access filling was the most frequent prosthetic complication, followed by the fracture of the porcelain. Full-arch metal-ceramic prostheses show a high prevalence of implant and prosthesis survival, with few biological and mechanical-technical complications.