Retrospective Clinical Evaluation of 1,314 Cast Gold Restorations in Service From 1 to 52 Years

Abstract

A retrospective clinical evaluation of 1,314 cast gold restorations in 114 patients placed by one practitioner was conducted. A very high percentage of patients contacted (114/116 [98.3%]) participated in the evaluation. Almost 90% of the restorations had been in service for over 9 years, 72% for over 20 years, and 45% from 25 to 52 years. All restorations had been cemented using zinc phosphate cement. The restorations were evaluated by independent evaluators in terms of marginal integrity, anatomic form, and surface texture, and 96% of the evaluations were excellent (Figures 1-5). Sixty restorations required removal and replacement, yielding an overall failure rate of 4.6% or a survival rate of 95.4%. The survival rates at various time periods were 97% at 9 years, 90.3% at 20 years, 94.9% at 25 years, 98% at 29 years, 96.9% at 39 years, and 94.1% for restorations in place > 40 years. It appears that properly fabricated cast gold inlays, onlays, partial veneer crowns, and full veneer crowns can provide extremely predictable, long-term restorative service. It is suggested that the use of such restorations should not be automatically precluded simply because they are gold colored. These restorations should be considered in patients who are more concerned with longevity than esthetics, and in those patients in whom placement of a conservative cast gold restoration would not result in an unesthetic display of metal.

Achievable Convergence Angle and the Effect of Preparation Design on the Clinical Outcome of Full Veneer Crowns in Dogs

“…Studies in humans reveal a steady decline in survivability with increased follow-up time. 26 The mean follow-up time for the previous study 27 was 2.83 yrs, compared to 3.59 yrs for this study. It is likely that the success rate would further decline with increased follow-up time.…”

Chamfer or shoulder preparation can be used for metal-free polymer crowns on anterior and posterior teeth

“…There were no data, however, relating to the preparations actually produced and nothing to indicate that Artglass crowns are a useful substitute for other types of indirect aesthetic restoration in anything other than the short-term. Three years is not long in fixed prosthodontics 4 and this study indicates only that polymer crowns have potential.…”

Ist Gold als zahnärztlicher Werkstoff noch zeitgemäß?

“…Die langjährige Überlebensdauer von Gold-und metallkeramischen Restaurationen ist in vielen statistischen Untersuchungen eindeutig belegt (Donovan et al 2004, Manhart et al 2004, Kerschbaum 2004, Gandjour et al 2005. Für Vollkeramik stehen vergleichbare Langzeitergebnisse noch aus.…”