April JADA compares zirconia-ceramic fixed dental prostheses with metal-ceramic

Posterior multiunit zirconia-ceramic restorations are slightly more susceptible to chipping of the veneering ceramic than metal-ceramic restorations, but they are considered a reliable treatment in the medium term, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the April issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.

The cover story, "Zirconia-Ceramic Versus Metal-Ceramic Posterior Multiunit Tooth-Supported Fixed Dental Prostheses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials," compared the survival and complication rates of zirconia-ceramic restorative material with metal-ceramic in multiunit tooth-supported posterior fixed dental prostheses. The authors included seven randomized controlled trials in the qualitative review and five in the quantitative meta-analysis.

In the medium term, zirconia-ceramic fixed dental prostheses showed rates of clinical survival and biological complications similar to those of metal-ceramic fixed dental prostheses. The only technical complication with statistically significant differences the authors found was chipping of the ceramic veneer, which was mostly resolved via polishing.

"Until more evidence becomes available, the use of [metal-ceramic fixed dental prostheses] should be considered first for the posterior sector, in which esthetics do not seem to be critical, because [zirconia-ceramic fixed dental prostheses] present more technical complications in terms of chipping than [metal-ceramic fixed dental prostheses]," said Drs. Alvaro Limones, Pedro Molinero-Mourelle, Luis Azevedo, Marta Romeo-Rubio, Ph.D., André Correia, Ph.D., and Miguel Gómez-Polo, Ph.D., in the article. "However, [zirconia-ceramic fixed dental prostheses] are a reliable treatment option for patients with high esthetic expectations."

Other articles in the April issue of JADA discuss evidence on the safety, efficacy and effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccines, the appropriateness of canceling dental procedures because of elevated blood pressure and the impact of a Medicaid policy on preventive oral health services for children with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Every month, JADA articles are published online at JADA.ADA.org in advance of the print publication.