Zirconia: An Up-to-date Literature Review

The interest of dental research in metal-free restorations has been rising in the last 20 years following the introduction of innovative all-ceramic materials in the daily practice. In particular, high-strength ceramics and related CAD/CAM techniques have widely increased the clinical indications of metal-free restorations, showing more favorable mechanical characteristics compared to the early ceramic materials. Zirconia has been recently introduced in prosthetic dentistry for the fabrication of crowns and fixed partial dentures, in combination with CAD/CAM techniques. The aim of the present paper was to provide a brief review on some aspects of zirconia dental restorations with focus on recent scientific researches.