Clinical assessment of monolithic zirconia crowns fabricated using an intraoral scanner.

Background: This in vivo study assessed the accuracy of single-tooth monolithic zirconia crowns made using an intraoral scanner (IOS) and computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology.

Methods: Thirty patients requiring single posterior crowns were selected. The teeth were prepared with a deep chamfer finish line with a 1-mm extension subgingivally and a 1-mm reduction in all surfaces by one prosthodontist. The gingival margins were retracted using a gingival retraction paste before making impressions using a Trios scanner. All the digital impression files were sent to one laboratory using the dental designer software (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark). After completing the milling and sintering processes, the crowns were dyed and glazed. After removing the temporary crown, the qualitative assessment of proximal contacts of definitive monolithic zirconia crowns was performed according to the CDA criteria. Data were analyzed with Friedman's two-way analysis and independent t-test at α=0.05.

Results: The difference in axial and total gaps between premolar and molar teeth was not significant; however, the mean marginal gap of molars was higher than that of the premolars (P=0.043). Furthermore, the comparison of the axial, total, and marginal gaps between the upper and lower jaws showed no significant difference (P>0.05). The distribution of occlusal and proximal contacts indicated 60% and 66.7% proper contacts and no contacts in 6.7% and 10% of cases, respectively.

Conclusion: Using IOSs could result in accurate monolithic zirconia crowns in terms of adaptation. Also, most occlusal and proximal contacts did not need any adjustments.