Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Aug 2;20(1):217.
doi: 10.1186/s12903-020-01202-7.

The use of PEEK in digital prosthodontics: A narrative review

Ioannis Papathanasiou  1 , Phophi Kamposiora  2 , George Papavasiliou  1 , Marco Ferrari  3
Affiliations
Review

The use of PEEK in digital prosthodontics: A narrative review

Ioannis Papathanasiou et al. BMC Oral Health. .

Abstract

Background: Advanced computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) technology led to the introduction of an increasing number of machinable materials suitable for dental prostheses. One of these materials is polyetheretherketone (PEEK), a high performance polymer recently used in dentistry with favorable physical, mechanical and chemical properties. The purpose of this study was to review the current published literature on the use of PEEK for the fabrication of dental prostheses with CAD-CAM techniques.

Methods: Electronic database searches were performed using the terms "PEEK", "CAD-CAM", "dental", "dentistry" to identify studies related to the use of PEEK for the fabrication of CAD-CAM prostheses. The search period spanned from January 1990 through February 2020. Both in vivo and in vitro studies in English were eligible. Review articles and the references of the included publications were searched to identify relevant articles.

Results: A great number of in vitro studies are available in the current literature pointing out the noticeable properties of PEEK. The use of PEEK has been recommended for a wide range of CAD-CAM fabricated fixed and removable dental prostheses. PEEK was additionally recommended for occlusal splints, intra-radicular posts, implant abutments, customized healing abutments and provisional restorations. However, only a few clinical studies were identified.

Conclusions: PEEK could be considered as a viable alternative for CAD-CAM fixed and removable dental prostheses to well-established dental materials. Due to the scarcity of clinical data, clinical trials are needed to assess the long-term performance of PEEK prostheses.

Keywords: Clinical applications; Computer-assisted-design/ computer-assisted-manufacturing; Dental prostheses; Digital prosthodontics; Polyetheretherketone.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests in relation to the present work.

References

    1. Preis V, Hahnel S, Behr M, Bein L, Rosentritt M. In-vitro fatigue and fracture testing of CAD/CAM-materials in implant-supported molar crowns. Dent Mater. 2017;33(4):427–433. - PubMed
    1. Zoidis P, Bakiri E, Papathanasiou I, Zappi A. Modified PEEK as an alternative crown framework material for weak abutment teeth: a case report. Gen Dent. 2017;65(5):37–40. - PubMed
    1. Zoidis P, Papathanasiou I, Polyzois G. The use of a modified poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) as an alternative framework material for removable dental prostheses. A clinical report. J Prosthodont. 2016;25(7):580–584. - PubMed
    1. Zoidis P. The all-on-4 modified polyetheretherketone treatment approach: a clinical report. J Prosthet Dent. 2018;119(4):516–521. - PubMed
    1. Emera RM, Altonbary GY, Elbashir SA. Comparison between all zirconia, all PEEK, and zirconia-PEEK telescopic attachments for two implants retained mandibular complete overdentures: in vitro stress analysis study. J Dent Implant. 2019;9:24–29.

LinkOut - more resources