Longevity of Primary Anterior Crown Restorations: A Retrospective Dental Claim Analysis.

The purposes of this study were to: (1) examine the longevity of resin crowns (RCs), pre-veneered stainless steel crowns (PVSSCs), and stainless steel crowns (SSCs) in primary maxillary incisors in a nationwide sample of private insurance claims; and (2) explore whether longer survival rates are related to the type of treating practitioner.
Private dental insurance claims were obtained from a national data warehouse. The paid insurance claims (2005 to 2016) included the treatment provided, number of teeth treated at an appointment, patient's age, and type of dentist.
All three restoration types had acceptable longevity; however, SSCs and PVSSCs had significantly better longevity than RCs, with no significant difference in longevity between SSCs and PVSSC. The most common restoration of choice was SSCs (48 percent), followed by RCs (29.8 percent) and PVSSCs (22.2 percent).
SSCs and PVSSCs had greater longevity than resin crowns. The survival rate after six years was higher than 90 percent for all types of restorations. Teeth restored with SSCs lasted longer when placed by pediatric dentists than those placed by general dentists.