STUDY OBJECTIVES AND METHODS

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of two -piece zirconia implants with screw -retained abutments compared to titanium implants after 1 year of loading. In this multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical trial, 61 two -piece zirconia and 61 titanium implant s were placed and restored with single crowns. Evaluations were performed at implant placement, crown delivery, and 1 - year post -loading. Peri -implant Marginal Bone Loss (MBL), survival rate, early wound healing index, and s oft tissue parameters were assessed. Intergroup comparisons of continuous outcomes were performed using Linear Mixed -Effects Models accounting for center and potential confounders. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi -square or Fisher's exact test. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan -Meier estimates. Significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

• No significant differences were found between the two implant types.
• Mean MBL from implantation to crown insertion was 1.10 ± 0.78 mm for titanium and 0.94 ± 0.67 mm for zirconia implants.
• No significant additional bone loss occurred over the subsequent year, with changes of 0.07 ± 0.55 mm and 0.08 ± 0.51 mm for titanium and zirconia, respectively.
• After 1 year, zirconia implants showed a 100% survival rate, while titanium implants showed 96.5% with two failures.
• At 1 year, differences in probing depths, plaque accumulation, and Papilla Bleeding Index were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

After 1 year of loading, no statistically significant differences in MBL, implant survival, or peri -implant health were found between zirconia and titanium implants, indicating no clinical superiority. Zirconia implants may therefore be considered a viable alternative in single -tooth implant restorations. Adapted from M Balmer et al., Clin Oral Implants Res. 2026 Jan 22 , for more info about this publication, click  HERE.

This review is part of the Straumann "Scientific Highlights Newsletter 1/26".