Can zirconia crowns be the first restorative choice after endodontic treatment of primary teeth?

Objective: Early loss of primary teeth due to caries can cause temporary or permanent problems, such as occlusion disorders, aesthetic problems, nutritional problems, abnormal habits, and speech disorders. Although the development of restorative materials has led to significant improvements, failures are still frequent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success rates of zirconia crowns compared to other crowns for the restoration of endodontically treated teeth with excessive loss of material.

Methods: A total of 45 teeth of patients aged under 10 years, including primary molars and anterior teeth, requiring restoration after root canal treatment, were included in this randomized, non-blinded clinical study. Stainless steel (SSC), zirconia (ZC), and strip (SC) crowns were used and compared clinically and radiographically during a six-month follow-up period. Parents were asked to fill out a questionnaire at one week and six months to evaluate the parent and child satisfaction levels. The patients' pain and discomfort levels were assessed using a visual analogue scale. The Mann-Whitney U, Chi-Squared and Friedman and Cochran Q tests were used for statistical comparisons using IBM SPSS Statistics version 23 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA).

Results: The six-month follow-up evaluations revealed no significant differences in clinical outcomes between the SSC, ZC, and SC groups. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to parent and child satisfaction.

Conclusion: The clinical outcomes of ZCs were comparable to those of the other crowns. ZCs could be a choice for aesthetic purposes, with the disadvantage of a higher cost.