Biomechanical Behavior of Zirconia Post and Core In vitro: a Systematic Review

Restoration of endodontically treated teeth is a common clinical practice which is being improved constantly. One piece zirconia post and cores are being introduced to dental treatments routine and offers aesthetic approach in restoring severely damaged teeth. However the biomechanical properties of such restorations remain unclear. The purpose of this systematic review was to describe biomechanical properties of zirconia post and cores and put them in a perspective with more conventional restorations. An electronic search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library and Clinical Key databases for in vitro studies dating up to October 2019. Clinical studies and case reports were excluded. Results: a total of 8 articles were included in a systematic review, consisting of 4 in vitro studies and 4 finite element analysis (FEA). Several evaluation parameters were set: zirconia post and core fractural resistance comparison with metal and prefabricated post systems, stress distribution in teeth restored with zirconia post and cores. Conclusions: zirconia post and core could be a promising restoration for anterior teeth where aesthetic demand is high. It showed similar in vitro biomechanical behavior and fractural resistance to gold alloy restorations, although such findings only show a tendency and further clinical investigation is needed. Keywords: zirconia post and core, prosthetic dentistry, biomechanical behavior