The Impact of Clinical Steps of Porcelain Fused to Metal Restorations on Periodontal Health

Statement of Problem: Periodontal health plays a key role in the success of restorative treatment and clinical stages of restorative treatments may affect the health of periodontium. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of clinical stages of porcelain fused to metal (PFM) restorations on free gingival margin (FGM), clinical attachment level (CAL), plaque (PI), and gingival (GI) indices. 15 patients requiring PFM restoration on the maxillary central incisor or maxillary and mandibular premolars (test group) with an intact adjacent counterpart (control group) were selected. FGM, CAL, PI, and GI were measured and recorded at baseline (0), after preparation (1), after impression (2), after final cementation (3), 7 days after cementation (4), 1 & 6 months after cementation (5 &6). Independent Sample T-test and Man-Whitney U Test were used for comparison of intra-group and inter-group differences, respectively. Statistically significant differences were seen between the test and control groups in FGM (3), CAL (2, 3 and 6), and GI (6). In the test group, significant differences were observed in FGM (1-3), CAL (1-6), and GI (3 and 6) compared to the baseline. In the control group, however, the variables did not show any significant difference compared to the baseline except for PI (4-6) and GI (6). The findings of the present study indicated that clinical stages of making porcelain fused to metal (PFM) restorations were accompanied by a significant loss of clinical attachment level, increase in GI, and deepening of the gingival sulcus.