A systematic review of the survival and complication rates of resin-bonded fixed dental prostheses after a mean observation period of at least 5 years

Objectives: The objective of this systematic review was to assess the 5-year and 10-year survival of resin-bonded fixed dental prostheses (RBBs) and to describe the incidence of technical and biological complications. Materials and Methods: An electronic MEDLINE search complemented by manual searching was conducted to identify prospective and retrospective cohort studies and case series on RBBs with a mean follow-up time of at least 5 years. Patients had to have been examined clinically at the follow-up visit. Assessment of the identified studies and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers. Failure and complication rates were analyzed using robust Poisson regression models to obtain summary estimates of 5- and 10-year proportions. Results: The search provided 367 titles and 87 abstracts. Full-text analysis was performed for 22 articles resulting in seven studies that met the inclusion criteria. Five articles were found through manual search, and 17 studies were provided from (Pjetursson et al. 2008, Clinical Oral Implants Research, 19, 131), resulting in an overall number of included studies of 29. Meta-analysis of these studies reporting on 2300 RBBs indicated an estimated survival of resin-bonded bridges of 91.4% (95 percent confidence interval [95% CI]: 86.7–94.4%) after 5 years and 82.9% (95% CI: 73.2–89.3%) after 10 years. A significantly higher survival rate was reported for RBBs with zirconia framework compared with RBBs from other materials. RBBs with one retainer had a significantly higher survival rate (P < 0.0001) and a lower de-bonding rate (P = 0.001) compared with RBBs retained by two or more retainers. Moreover, the survival rate was higher for RBBs inserted in the anterior area of the oral cavity compared with posterior RBBs. The most frequent complications were de-bonding (loss of retention), which occurred in 15% (95% CI: 10.9–20.6%) and chipping of the veneering material that was reported for 4.1% (95% CI: 1.8–9.5%) of the RBBs over an observation period of 5 years. Conclusion: Despite the high survival rate of RBBs after 5 and 10 years, technical complications like de-bonding and minor chipping were frequent. RBBs with zirconia framework and RBBs with one retainer tooth showed the highest survival rate.