A clinical and radiographic comparative evaluation of custom-made zirconia crowns using CAD-CAM and stainless steel crowns in primary molars

Background and Aim of Study: Early childhood caries is a multifactorial disease process affecting children below 71 months of age and continues to be a global health problem. Stainless steel crowns (SSCs) are widely used and are very popular in pediatric dentistry due to its superiority and durability when compared with multisurface amalgam restorations. However, one of the major disadvantages with these crowns is the poor esthetics. Parents often request for a more esthetic alternative to the SSC. Zirconia crowns are one of the tooth-colored full crown restorations currently available for use in primary teeth. These are available as both preformed and custom-made crowns and show excellent esthetics. However, these require extensive tooth preparation with a subgingival finish lines, which would cause gingival trauma and bleeding during the preparation. The present study uses intraoral scanners for making the custom-made zirconia crowns, which will avoid the conventional impressions. Currently, there are no studies available in pediatric dentistry regarding CAD-CAM crowns. Hence, there is a need for the study. Aim: The aim of this study is to clinically evaluate the performance of preformed SSCs and custom-made zirconia crowns in primary molars. To elicit parental and patient satisfaction with respect to preformed SSCs and custom made zirconia crowns and to radiographically compare the interproximal bone height for 1 year. Methods: The patients were selected with purposive sampling. The tooth of interest was prepared according to the crown it would receive. The upper and the lower arch of the tooth receiving custom-made zirconia crown was scanned using an intraoral scanner. The crowns were cemented using Type 1 glass ionomer cement (GIC) (SSC) and resin modified GIC (custom-made zirconia crown). After the crown placement, the patient and the parent's satisfaction was scaled regarding the time taken, comfort, cost of crown, appearance of crown, etc., using a 5-point Likert scale. A baseline radiograph was taken after crown placement. The patient was recalled every 3 months till 1 year for evaluation (loss of retention, loss of proximal contact, gingival inflammation, opposing tooth wear, and marginal integrity). At the end of 1 year, radiographs were taken to check the interproximal bone. Results: After 1 year evaluation of custom-made zirconia crowns and preformed SSCs in primary molars, it was shown that both SSC and zirconia crowns showed good gingival scores but zirconia crown was better than SSC in improving the gingival health. SSCs showed better results with respect to the opposing tooth wear and marginal adaptability. Parents as well as patients preferred a tooth-colored crown as a treatment option. Conclusion: Custom-made zirconia crowns are comparable to the preformed SSCs and they show better gingival scores and excellent color match.