BACKGROUND: Compared with porcelain fused to metal crown, the all-ceramic crown materials have been more and more applied in clinical anterior teeth restoration due to natural and stable color, low thermal conductivity, non-electric conductivity, wear resistance, good biocompatibility, non-transparent metallic, and relatively simple operations.
OBJECTIVE: To summarize the characteristics, production methods and clinical application of different all-ceramic crown materials.
METHODS: A computer-based online retrieval was performed in Wanfang database and Medline database between 2001 and 2011 for articles regarding the characteristics, production methods, physical and mechanical strength, chemical and biological compatibility, aesthetic appearance and clinical application of different all-ceramic crown materials.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Currently, the clinically used all-ceramic materials can be divided into slip casting porcelain, casting ceramic, heat-pressed glass ceramic, glass-infiltrated ceramics, densely-sintered aluminum oxide polycrystalline, partially stabilized tetragonal zirconium oxide polycrystalline, and nano-composite ceramic. Different materials have its specific mechanical properties and clinical indications, so clinical selection must be based on specific conditions. With the advance of high-strength ceramic studies, all-ceramic restorations become widely applied, and high-aluminum ceramic represented by In-ceram and zirconia all-ceramic crowns can achieve good effects within a short and long term, foreign clinical experiments have conducted the enlargement from anterior crown to rear crown and bridge. To insure optimum long-term clinical results of all-ceramic crown restorations, the key is to overcome the fragmentation of dental prosthesis, mainly through modifying the composition, improving the anti-smash property of ceramic materials, and a series of prevention measures.