Introduction/Objective. Comparing two materials under the same conditions is
the best way to define differences between them. PEEK is a polymer that has
many possible uses in dentistry as already well-known lithium disilicate
ceramics. The aim of this study was to compare peri-implant soft tissue
healing and evaluate patient satisfaction with esthetics in different
observation periods, as well as the success and survival rate of both types
of crowns. Methods. The study was conducted as a clinical, prospective,
randomized split-mouth study on 17 patients with bilaterally missing upper
teeth of the same type, replaced with dental implants. Study outcomes have
been analyzed with subjective (VAS scale) and objective parameters (MBI, MPI
and PPD) baseline, six and twelve months after fixing crowns onto the
implants. Results. Comparison of the results between PEEK and lithium
disilicate crowns showed no statistical differences in terms of MPI, MBI and
PPD in the observed periods. Analyzing MPI during observation periods in the
PEEK group of crowns, statistical significance was registered between
baseline values and after 6 months. Also, statistical significance was
noticed in terms of PPD during the observation time both in the study and
control group of crowns. Results for VAS for the esthetics showed no
statistically significant difference between the groups, while VAS for
restoration satisfaction showed a statistically significant difference.
Conclusion. This study showed that scores of the applied subjective and
objective parameters can be a reliable tool to rate the clinical outcome of
implant-retained single crowns over time.