Evaluation of dentists'choice for the material used in anterior fixed-partial-dentures

The aim of this study was to evaluate the dentists' choice for the material used in anterior fixed partial dentures.

Method:

129 volunteering dentists (86 females, 43 males) who attended the education seminars of the Department of Prosthodontics participated in the survey.  The survey questionnaire consisted of 9 questions about the material of preference for fixed anterior dentures and related problems.

Result:

The mean age of the dentists was 42.38±9.93. The mean period of professional experience was 18.91±9.28 years. 64.3 % of the dentists preferred metal-porcelain restorations whereas 27.9 % preferred zirconia-porcelain and 7.8 % prefer full porcelain restorations. The selection of metal-porcelain was mainly due to its low cost and the most frequent problem was reported as the reflection of the metal color from the gums with a percentage of 47.3%.  Zirconia-porcelain restorations were preferred because of their esthetic appearence by 74.4 % of the dentists. The most frequent problem about the zirconia-porcelain restorations was reported as the insufficient translucency of the restoration by 29.5 % of the dentists. 76.7 % of the participants preferred full porcelain fixed partial dentures because of their esthetic appearance and the most frequent problem reported was the difficulty of the cementation procedure with a percentage of 45.7%.

Conclusion:

Metal-porcelain restorations were the most preferable restorations by the dentists who participated in the questionnaire in all the age and experience groups. The increase in the demand for zirconia-porcelain or full porcelain restorations was because of the limited esthetic characteristics of metal-porcelain restorations.