Fracture resistance of single-tooth implant-supported all-ceramic restorations: an in vitro study

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: High-strength ceramic materials can be used to fabricate esthetic and stable implant-supported single-tooth restorations. No study was identified that compared the fracture resistance of individual components of single-tooth implant-supported all-ceramic restorative systems after artificial aging. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the fracture resistance of single-tooth implant-supported all-ceramic restorations consisting of alumina all-ceramic restorations on different implant abutments and to identify the weakest component of the restorative system. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-eight standardized maxillary central incisor alumina crowns (Procera) were fabricated for each of the 3 test groups (n = 16) (Control group Ti, titanium abutments; Group Al, alumina abutments; Group Zr, zirconia abutments) for the Replace implant system. The crowns were adhesively luted using a resin luting agent (Panavia 21) and artificially aged through dynamic loading and thermal cycling. Afterwards, all specimens were tested for fracture resistance using compressive load on the palatal surfaces of the crowns. Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance and post hoc Wilcoxon rank sum tests were performed to test for differences in fracture resistance values (alpha = .05). RESULTS: All test specimens survived the artificial aging process using simulated oral conditions. No screw loosening was recorded. The median fracture resistance was 1454 N, 422.5 N, and 443.6 N for groups Ti, Al, and Zr, respectively. Significant differences were found for the fracture resistance comparisons of group Ti with groups Al and Zr (Kruskal-Wallis test, P < .001). The test results for the comparison of groups Al and Zr were not significant. CONCLUSION: All 3 implant-supported restorations have the potential to withstand physiologic occlusal forces applied in the anterior region.