Clinical outcomes of zirconia implants: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the clinical outcomes of zirconia dental implants based on an updated systematic literature review.

Methods: An electronic search was performed in three databases, last updated in June 2023, supplemented by hand searching. The eligibility criteria were clinical studies reporting patients rehabilitated with zirconia implants. The cumulative survival rate (CSR) of implants was calculated. A meta-analysis for marginal bone loss (MBL) under different follow-up times and a meta-regression assessing the relationship between mean MBL and follow-up were done.

Results: Twenty-five studies were included (4017 implants, 2083 patients). Seven studies had follow-up longer than 60 months. 172 implants failed, after a mean of 12.0 ± 16.1 months (min-max 0.3-86.0), of which 47 early failures, and 26 due to implant fracture, the majority in narrow-diameter implants. The 10-year CSR was 95.1%. Implants with coronal part prepared by drills presented statistically significant lower survival than non-prepared implants (p < 0.001). Two-piece implants presented lower survival than one-piece implants (p = 0.017). Implants discontinued from the market presented lower survival than the commercially available ones (p < 0.001). The difference in survival was not significant between implants in maxilla and mandible (p = 0.637). The mean MBL fluctuated between 0.632 and 2.060 mm over long periods of observation (up until 132 months). There was an estimated MBL increase of 0.005 mm per additional month of follow-up.

Conclusion: Zirconia implants present high 10-year CSR and short-term low MBL. The review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022342055).

Clinical relevance: The clinical outcomes observed for zirconia dental implants are very promising, although these have not yet been extensively studied as titanium alloy implants.

Keywords: Ceramic implants; Dental implants; Marginal bone loss; Meta-analysis; Survival; Systematic review; Zirconia implants; Zirconium oxide.

Fig. 1

Study screening process

Fig. 2

Scatter plot for the meta-regression with the association between follow-up (in months) and mean marginal bone loss (MBL). Positive values mean bone loss, while the negative values mean bone gain. Every circle represents a study or a different follow-up point in a same study, and the size of the circle represents the weight of the study in the analysis