SEM evaluation of the precision of fit of CAD/CAM zirconia and metal-ceramic posterior crowns

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the precision of fit of posterior crowns made from three commercial CAD/CAM zirconia ceramics and conventional metal-ceramic technique. The external and internal marginal fit of the crowns was evaluated using direct SEM-based measurements. The data were subjected to Kruskal-Wallis, multicomparison post hoc analysis and Wilcoxon rank sum tests (α=0.05). Significant differences were observed for the external (p<0.002) and the internal (p<0.0001) marginal evaluation among the groups. No differences were observed between the buccal and lingual surfaces for the external (p=0.34) and internal (p=0.55) evaluations. No differences were showed between the external and internal measurements (p=0.37). The accuracy of fit was within the range of clinical acceptance. The lowest discrepancies corresponded to the NobelProcera group for external (39.3±11.81 μm) and internal (41.09±7.54 µm) marginal fit. The results confirmed that destructive methods are not required to assess the marginal fit of dental prosthetic crowns.