Outcomes of surveyed monolithic CAD/CAM zirconia crowns for removable partial denture abutments: A 7-year clinical study

Abstract

Purpose: This retrospective clinical study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of surveyed monolithic computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) zirconia crowns for abutment teeth in removable partial dentures (RPDs). Methods: Patients who received monolithic surveyed zirconia crowns were clinically examined. The crowns were examined according to the modified United States Public Health Service criteria, and Kaplan-Meier survival was determined. The effect of different variables on the survival and success rates was assessed using Cox regression analysis (α = 0.05). Results: A total of 297 crowns of 275 patients were evaluated over a mean period of 7 years. The cumulative survival and success rates were 95.6% and 91.2%, respectively. Complications were in the form of secondary caries (n=12), minor chipping (n=9), and debonding (n=5). A higher number of failures was observed in the mandibular molars (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Surveyed monolithic zirconia crowns demonstrated high survival after 7 years of service. Monolithic zirconia is an excellent alternative to metal ceramic crowns for RPD abutments.