Ceramic Materials as an Alternative to Titanium for Dental Implant Fabrication

Abstract

Titanium is the gold standard material to produce dental implants from more than years, showing high success rate in different clinical scenarios. Zirconia implants were recently introduced to overwhelm some aesthetic and biological problems that can arise from titanium. Preclinical studies show that, from a mechanical point of view, zirconia may be a suitable substitute for titanium in implant fabrication. Three-dimensional finite element analysis FE" models found no difference between titanium and titaniumzirconium alloy implants, neither for early nor conventional functional loading. Nevertheless, zirconia presents the same osseoconductive properties of the titanium, even if the few clinical studies show survival and success rates slightly inferior for zirconia implants comparing to titanium ones, and long-term follow-ups are missing. For these reasons, the majority of authors agree to be cautious for proposing zirconia implants as widespread substitute of titanium implants.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Titanium, Zirconia, and Ceramic Dental Implant Materials: A Comparative Analysis of Mechanical and Esthetic Properties

“…In the pursuit of enhancing dental implant materials, zirconia has drawn significant attention due to its superior biocompatibility, esthetically pleasing nature, high corrosion resistance, good mechanical properties, and absence of reported allergic reactions [ 6 ]. Furthermore, zirconia implants have been introduced to overcome esthetic and biological problems that can arise from titanium [ 7 ]. However, it is essential to note that zirconia implants may exhibit a slower initial osseointegration process compared to titanium implants [ 8 ].…”

Comparative Evaluation of the Effect of Implant Crown Materials on Implant Components and Bone Stress Distribution: A 3D Finite Element Analysis

“…While ceramics are biocompatible and esthetic, their durability and fracture resistance must meet the criteria to replace conventional metal–ceramic crowns [ 8 , 9 ]. Findings from a laboratory study comparing the fracture resistance of zirconia and lithium disilicate monolithic crowns, which were cemented onto zirconia hybrid abutments, indicated that these materials exhibit resistance to molar masticatory forces and yield satisfactory results [ 10 ].…”