Full-Arch, Implant-Supported Monolithic Zirconia Rehabilitations: Pilot Clinical Evaluation of Wear Against Natural or Composite Teeth

PURPOSE: To clinically evaluate the amount of contact wear generated between full-arch monolithic zirconia implant-supported restorations and natural or composite antagonists, over a 1-year period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-seven teeth from clinically functional, full-arch monolithic zirconia screw-retained implant prostheses (FDPs) and their antagonists were investigated. The first group ("Zirconia-E") was opposed to natural teeth ("Enamel"), whereas the other one ("Zirconia-CR") was opposed to nano-hybrid composite teeth ("Composite Resin"). Replicas of the restorations and their antagonists were obtained immediately after delivery (T0 ) and after 1 year of clinical service (T1 ). Each tooth surface was individually evaluated three-dimensionally by software to quantify the vertical distance between the two scans (Hausdorff distance), which was considered as contact wear. Data obtained for each arch were subjected to one-way ANOVA test and a post hoc analysis (Tukey's test) at a 5% level of significance. Furthermore, the influence of the location of the teeth (anterior or posterior) was analyzed. Minimum post hoc statistical power between statistically different groups was 99.6%. RESULTS: Mean values were 63 ± 23 μm for Zirconia-E, 76 ± 29 μm for enamel, 70 ± 38 μm for composite resin; Zirconia-CR had a mean value of 19 ± 4 μm and significantly differed from the other groups. Contact wear between anterior and posterior teeth differed significantly only in the composite resin arch, with a mean of 39 ± 22 μm for anterior teeth versus 101 ± 19 μm for posterior ones. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this preliminary evaluation, monolithic zirconia full-arch rehabilitations induced a clinically acceptable wear on natural and composite antagonists over a 1-year period; they might be considered a viable solution for implant-supported rehabilitations.