Clinical outcomes of full arch fixed implant-supported zirconia prostheses: A systematic review.

Aim: The primary aim of this systematic review was to study the clinical outcomes of one-piece fixed complete dentures (complete arch fixed implant-supported prostheses) made of zirconia for edentulous patients. The secondary aim was to compare the clinical outcomes of monolithic zirconia vs zirconia veneered with porcelain (conventional, minimal or gingival) for fixed complete dentures.

Materials and methods: Two investigators conducted an independent electronic search of the literature, using PubMed and Scopus search engines from January 1, 2000, to August 31, 2016. After application of pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final list of articles was reviewed to meet the aims of this review.

Results: A total of 12 observational studies were identified that satisfied the inclusion criteria of this systematic review. Short-term results from a combined 223 patients with 285 one-piece zirconia fixed complete dentures showed a mean failure rate of 1.4% due to the fracture of four prostheses. Prosthetic complications occurred in 46 prostheses (16.1%). Out of these, 42 prostheses (14.7%) had minor complications exclusive to fracture of veneered porcelain.

Conclusions: Current evidence indicates that zirconia fixed complete dentures have a very low failure rate in the short term, but have a substantial rate of minor complications related to chipping of veneered porcelain. Use of monolithic zirconia with only gingival stains, or zirconia that is veneered only at the gingiva may offer promising results, but will need to be validated by future long-term studies. Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors report no conflict of interest.