Clinical Update quiz
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November 2025 Clinical Update
Survival of pre-formed zirconia crowns in primary teeth: a prospective practice-based cohort study
Foster M, Patel J, Turlach B, Anthonappa R. Survival of pre-formed zirconia crowns in primary teeth: a prospective practice-based cohort study. Aust Dent J. 2024 Jun;69(2):139-145. doi: 10.1111/adj.13006. Epub 2024 Feb 1. PMID: 38299688.
Reviewed and edited by Professor Harcourt and Dr Condon. Compiled by Dr Nirav Bhatia.
This article was originally published in the Australian Dental Journal, 2024 and has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Introduction
Restorative therapy in the primary dentition is geared towards providing a child with a functional and aesthetic outcome until exfoliation. Full coverage restorations provide a superior seal and preservation of coronal integrity compared with intra-coronal restorations in the primary dentition and are commonly used in the management of high caries risk children, teeth with multiple carious lesions and developmental defects of enamel. Stainless steel crowns (SSC) have become the gold standard in restoring primary molars.
Despite their proven clinical history and longevity, the use of SSCs is limited by their metallic appearance. Pre-formed zirconia crowns (PZCs) have shown promising outcomes based on their excellent aesthetics, favourable mechanical properties, and biological compatibility. However, unlike SSCs, PZCs cannot be crimped or contoured and need to be passively cemented thus resulting in greater technique-sensitivity. A recent systematic review found only 14 clinical studies on PZCs with most studies focusing on anterior teeth with a follow-up period between 12 and 18 months, with limited literature on the longer-term success on posterior teeth. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the (1) survival probabilities of PZCs placed on anterior or posterior primary teeth beyond 12 months and (2) identify demographics and tooth-related factors that might affect survival probability.
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