Aim: The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the clinical performance of implant-supported monolithic all-ceramic single- and multi-unit restorations.
Materials and methods: The electronic databases of MEDLINE via PubMed, the Cochrane Library (CENTRAL) and EMBASE were searched for clinical studies on monolithic all-ceramic single and multi-unit implant-supported fixed dental prostheses. Human studies with a mean follow-up of at least 2 years and published in English or German language peer-reviewed journals up until August 2016 were included. Two independent examiners conducted the literature search and review process.
Results: The search resulted in 2510 titles and of these, 57 studies were selected for full-text evaluation. Three studies were included on the basis of the pre-determined criteria. Two articles reported on monolithic lithium disilicate implant-supported single crowns (SC) and revealed a survival rate of 97,8 and 100% after 3 years. One study investigated implant-supported monolithic zirconia SCs and fixed partial dentures (FPD) and showed a survival rate of 100% after 5 years. No studies could be identified on the clinical performance of monolithic resin matrix ceramic restorations. Clinical studies are lacking on the long-term outcome of implant-supported monolithic all-ceramic single- and multi-unit restorations.
Conclusions: Preliminary clinical data indicate high short-term survival for implant-supported monolithic lithium disilicate and zirconia single- and multi-unit restorations. Randomised clinical studies and observations with a longer duration are necessary to validate the broad application of this therapy. Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.