Dentist Material Selection for Single-Unit Crowns: Findings from the National-Dental-PBRN

Objectives: (1) quantify dentists’ recommendations for single-unit crown materials; (2) test the hypothesis that dentist/practice characteristics are significantly associated with these recommendations
Methods: Dentists enrolled in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network (NationalDentalPBRN.org) completed a questionnaire about techniques and materials used for single-unit crowns, and an enrollment questionnaire about dentist/practice characteristics. Respondents were asked what material they would use for a single-unit crown on tooth #19 (posterior) and #8 (anterior) on a 40-year male who attends recall visits regularly, has no relevant medical history, has low caries risk, has satisfactory occlusion with minimal wear, and is financially able to pay for a crown out-of-pocket. Material choices included: full metal, porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM), all-zirconia, layered zirconia, lithium disilicate, leucite-reinforced ceramic, or other. Practitioner characteristics included: gender, race, years since graduation, practice type, region, practice busyness, insurance coverage, hours work/week, practice location, and specialty type.
Results: A total of 1,847 of 2,299 invited dentists participated so far (80%); this abstract reports only on the first 1,000 respondents. The top 3 choices for posterior crowns were all-zirconia (31%), PFM (30%) and lithium disilicate (20%). There were significant differences (p<0.05) by: gender, race, practice type, region, practice busyness, insurance coverage, and hours work/week. The top 3 choices for anterior crowns were lithium disilicate (55%), layered zirconia (17%), and leucite-reinforced glass ceramic (12%). There were significant differences (p<0.05) by: race, hours work/week, and practice location.

Conclusions: Network dentists use a broad range of materials for single-unit crowns for anterior and posterior teeth, adopting newer materials into their practice routine as they become widely available. Material choices are significantly associated with dentist/practice characteristics. Support: U19-DE-22516.