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Published on: October 18, 2021
Zirconia abutments for single-tooth implant restorations: a 10- to 11-year follow-up study
Anders Ekfeldt1, Björn Fürst2, Gunnar E Carlsson3
1Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Oral Function, Faculty of Dentistry, Institute of Clinical Dentistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Objectives:
To evaluate the clinical outcome of custom-made zirconia abutments for implant-supported single-tooth restorations 10-11 years after insertion.
Material And Methods:
The study comprises a clinical examination of 23 patients with 30 restorations placed 10-11 years ago. Oral surgeons placed the implants. The prosthodontic treatment was provided at a prosthodontic specialist clinic. The restoration was either an all-ceramic crown for cementation or a screw-retained one-piece restoration with the veneering porcelain baked directly to the zirconia abutment. Besides the clinical and radiographic examination at the 10- to 11-year follow-up, the patients' records were scrutinized regarding clinical and radiographic data from insertion of the restoration up to the last visit at the clinic.
Results:
The zirconia abutments performed well. Both technical and biological complications were rare; most patients were in general extremely satisfied with the restorations. No all-ceramic crowns fractured during the observation period. One implant was lost after 5½ years in service. There were no significant differences for changes in any of the soft tissue registrations or the peri-implant marginal bone level between the conventional two-piece abutment-crown restoration and the one-piece restoration. The peri-implant bone level changes from placement to the clinical examination 10-11 years later were small (mean 0.26 mm, SD 0.6 mm).
Conclusions:
Zirconia abutments for single-implant crowns demonstrated excellent technical and biological results over 10-11 years of function, and most patients were extremely satisfied with the aesthetics and the function of their single-implant restorations.
