Strength of zirconia fixed partial dentures: review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is a systematic review of the literature on the strength and long-term behavior of zirconia FPDs. METHODS The literature search was performed using as the primary source the Medline database. Were also imposed a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria in order to narrow the search to differentiate the two distinct parts in which it was structured the review. In addition, MeSH terms were applied to further refine the choice of articles more relevant to the review. In the part of the review concerning the long-term behavior of zirconia fixed partial dentures were considered useful only those studies with a minimum follow-up of one year. RESULTS The search provided a total of 813 articles, but only 25 were considered for the review because they were the only ones who satisfied search criteria. In particular, 13 items relate to the mechanical strength of zirconia prostheses and 12 regarding the long term behavior of zirconia FPDs. The resistance values also exceed the 2000 N while the survival rate reaches to almost 94%. CONCLUSIONS Based on this review, Zirconia FPDs can be considered reliable products in both the anterior and posterior fields with survival rates comparable to traditional metal-ceramic prostheses.