Abstract
Mid-term data on zirconia oral implants is very rare. Therefore, the aim of this prospective clinical investigation was to evaluate the survival rate and the marginal bone loss of a one-piece zirconia implant after five years. Patient-reported outcomes were also recorded. Zirconia implants to support single crowns (SC) or a 3-unit fixed dental prosthesis (FDP) were placed and subsequently restored. After the insertion of the implants, at prosthetic delivery, and after five years, standardized radiographs were taken to evaluate marginal bone loss (MBL). For bone tissue evaluation, linear mixed models with random intercepts were fitted. Twenty-seven patients received one implant for an SC and 13 patients received two implants for a 3-unit FDP. Three patients each lost one implant for an SC before prosthetic delivery. Thirty-five patients were seen after five years, and no further implant was lost. The cumulative five-year implant survival rate was 94.3%. The MBL from implant installation up to five years was 0.81 mm. The MBL from implant installation to prosthetic delivery was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Patients perceived a significant improvement in function, esthetics, sense, speech, and self-esteem from pretreatment up to the five-year follow-up. The present findings substantiate the clinical applicability of this implant system.
Highlights
Zirconia oral implants are regarded as an addendum to the present implant armamentarium by clinicians, while implants made of titanium are considered the gold standard
Available clinical data on zirconia implants are limited to fixed prosthetic rehabilitations (especially single crowns (SCs) and short-span fixed dental prosthesis (FDPs)) and show high short-term survival rates (98% after 1 year and 97% after 2 years), which are comparable to two-piece titanium implants [2,3,4,5]
Three implants for single crowns were lost before prosthetic delivery
Summary
Zirconia oral implants are regarded as an addendum to the present implant armamentarium by clinicians, while implants made of titanium are considered the gold standard. Zirconia as a metal-free alternative to titanium for the manufacturing of implants is of interest for our patients, since this material can positively influence the esthetic outcome of a reconstruction due to the tooth-like color [9,10]. A second potential advantage might be seen in lacking metallic particles, which are liable in causing adverse effects such as hypersensitivity. The latter argument presents a topic of controversial discussion in the dental implant community [11,12,13]. A further argument in favor of zirconia as a ceramic implant material is the desire of certain patients to be restored without metals
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