Prospective observation of CAD/CAM titanium ceramic single crowns: a three-year follow up.
BACKGROUND
Computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) titanium ceramic restorations were developed with the potential for replacing expensive, high noble metal ceramic restorations. However, there is a lack of information about the clinical performance of CAD/CAM titanium ceramic single crowns.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate CAD/CAM titanium ceramic single crowns after 3 years in function.


METHODS
A total of 41 crowns were fabricated for 21 patients. The titanium copings were CAD/CAM milled (Everest CAD/CAM system) with an even thickness of 0.5 mm, and low-fusing veneering porcelain (Vita Titanium Porcelain) was added incrementally. The crowns were cemented using zinc phosphate cement after confirming that there were no mechanical and biological complications. The patients were recalled at 12, 24, and 36 months after cementation to examine the presence of any complications and measure periodontal parameters such as probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and plaque index (PI). The success and survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier analysis.


RESULTS
The success rate of CAD/CAM titanium ceramic crowns with regard to mechanical complications was 82.3% (95% confidence interval: 71.2% to 95.1%). The cumulative survival rate of the crowns was 94.9% (95% confidence interval: 88.3% to 100%) after 3 years. No biological complications were observed. At the end of the follow up, PD was 2.93 mm, percentile of surface with BOP was 29.2, and PI was 0.31.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical performances of the CAD/CAM titanium ceramic crowns for 3 years were acceptable, with no biologic complications and a high cumulative survival rate.
Center for Oral Medicine, Department of Prosthodontics, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany. arne.boeckler@medizin.uni-halle.de
Arne F
AF
Boeckler
Heeje
H
Lee
Anke
A
Stadler
Jürgen M
JM
Setz
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002484:Cementation / Q000379:methods; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D003442:Crowns; D000044:Dental Abutments; D003764:Dental Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D003776:Dental Porcelain / Q000737:chemistry*; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design; D017269:Dental Prosthesis Repair; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D003801:Dental Veneers; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000145:classification; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016300:Radiography, Bitewing; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*; D019231:Tooth Preparation, Prosthodontic; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015036:Zinc Phosphate Cement / Q000737:chemistry
D003764:Dental Materials; D003776:Dental Porcelain; D015036:Zinc Phosphate Cement; D014025:Titanium