Porcelain laminate veneers are a predictable and successful treatment approach that also maximizes the preservation of sound tooth structures, according to a new study in Clinical Oral Investigations (July 20, 2011).
Researchers from the University G. D'Annunzio School of Dentistry in Italy evaluated the clinical performance of laminate porcelain veneers bonded with a light-cured composite in 30 patients with a total of 119 porcelain laminate veneers.
The veneers were studied for seven years. Marginal adaptation, marginal discoloration, secondary caries, color match, and anatomic form were clinically examined following modified United States Public Health Service criteria. Each restoration was also examined for cracks, fractures, and debonding. In addition, pulp vitality was verified, and plaque and gingival indexes and increase in gingival recession were recorded.
Using the restoration as the statistical unit, the survival rate was 97.5%, with a high estimated success probability of 0.843 after seven years, the researchers found. Using the patient as the statistical unit, the survival rate was 90.0% and the estimated success probability after seven years was 0.824. Gingival response to the veneers was all in the satisfactory range.
"Porcelain laminate veneers offer a predictable and successful treatment modality giving a maximum preservation of sound tooth," the researchers concluded. The preparation, cementation, and finishing procedures used are key factors in the long-term success and aesthetic result of the veneers, they added.
