OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long-term clinical outcome of posterior metal-ceramic crowns fabricated with CAD/CAM-based laser-sintering technology (BEGO Medical, Bremen, Germany).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty posterior crowns were placed in 39 patients. After tooth preparation, impression taking and model casting, the stone dies were scanned to create STL data, followed by manufacturing of crown frameworks with laser-sintering technology. A base metal alloy (CoCr) and a precious alloy (AuPt) were used for 31 and 29 posterior crowns, respectively, which were veneered using the layering technique. All crowns were cemented using glass-ionomer cement.

RESULTS: The mean observation period was 10.5 ± 3.9 years. Six patients with 10 crowns were regarded as dropout. Nine crowns had been removed, three of them were intact but they were removed due to a new prosthetic treatment plan. The cumulative survival rate of all crowns was 81% after 14.7 years. When comparing the survival rates related to the alloy used, the Gehan-Wilcoxon test showed no significant differences between both alloys. Biological complications were most commonly reported, while technical complications did not affect the function of the crowns.

CONCLUSION: The long-term clinical outcome of posterior metal-ceramic crowns fabricated with CAD/CAM-based laser-sintering technology is very promising, so that this novel technique could be an alternative to the traditional lost wax casting process.