Five-Year Clinical Outcomes of Monolithic vs. Partially Veneered Zirconia FPDs

Objectives: Evaluation of 5-year clinical outcomes of tooth-supported monolithic (M) and partially veneered (PV) zirconia fixed partial dentures (FPDs) made from translucent 3 mol% yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Cercon ht, Dentsply Sirona).
Methods: 57 participants received 73 FPDs between November 2011 and June 2016 and were clinically followed up at an interval of 1 week, 6 months, and then yearly after placement. Clinical evaluations were conducted until 18 December 2022. 68 restorations were included in this 5-year analyses (34 M FPDs and 34 PV FPDs) with a mean observation period of 6.0 ± 3.0 years (range 0.1–10.2 years). Survival and success were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test (α = .05).
Results: The failure of 16 FPDs (8 M FPDs and 8 PV FPDs) was observed, with 15 complications being biological in nature. The cumulative 5-year failure-free survival rate was 89.4% for M FPDs and 81.9% for PV FPDs (P = .640). The 5-year ceramic defect-free survival rate was 100% for M FPDs and 86.4% for PV FPDs (P = .036).
Conclusions: The medium-term success rate of tooth-supported M and PV FPDs is promising. M FPDs, in particular, seem to be less susceptible to ceramic complications. To strengthen the clinical evidence for these restoration designs, further long-term studies with larger sample sizes are needed.