Purpose: A method of fabricating ceramometal crowns using gold copings produced by an electroforming process has been described, which purportedly results in restorations exhibiting an excellent marginal fit. This study compares the fit of electroformed ceramometal crowns with ceramometal crowns fabricated using conventional lost wax casting techniques.
Materials and methods: Electroformed and conventional ceramometal crowns were fabricated for prepared extracted teeth. Specimens were cemented, embedded in acrylic resin, sectioned, polished, photographed, and measured to compare marginal fit.
Results: Marginal fit of electroformed ceramometal crowns was superior to the fit of ceramometal crowns fabricated using conventional casting techniques. The difference was statistically significant at a P = .05 level.
Conclusions: Crowns utilizing copings fabricated by electroforming methods appear to have a fit superior to conventional ceramometal crowns fabricated using copings made by lost wax casting. The ease in laboratory electroforming techniques and the esthetic advantages of a gold-colored coping can be capitalized on without concerns of a poorer fit.