A 10-year Prospective Evaluation of CAD/CAM-Manufactured (Cerec) Ceramic Inlays Cemented with a Chemically Cured or Dual-Cured Resin Composite

Purpose: The present follow-up study was carried out to evaluate the performance of Class II Cerec inlays after 10 years of clinical service. Materials and Methods: Sixty-six Class II CAD/CAM ceramic inlays were placed in 27 patients. Each patient received at least one inlay luted with a dual-cured resin composite and one inlay luted with a chemically cured resin composite. At the 10-year recall, 25 (93%) patients with 61 (92%) inlays were available for evaluation using a slight modification of the USPHS criteria. Results: Fifty-four (89%) of the 61 inlays reevaluated still functioned well at the 10-year recall. During the follow-up period, seven (11%) of the inlays required replacement because of: four inlay fractures, one cusp fracture, endodontic problems in one case, and postoperative symptoms in one case. All the replaced inlays had been luted with the dual-cured resin composite. The fractured inlays were all placed in molars. The estimated survival rate after 10 years was 89%, 77% for the dual-cured resin composite-luted inlays and 100% for the chemically cured resin composite-luted ones. The difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: Patient satisfaction with and acceptance of the Cerec inlays were high, and the performance after 10 years of clinical service was acceptable, especially regarding the inlays luted with the chemically cured resin composite. The properties of the luting agents seem to affect the longevity of the type of ceramic inlays evaluated.