Advances in Chairside and Restorative Dental Materials: A Systematic Review of Material Properties, Adhesive Strategies, and Long-Term Performance

Background: Chairside CAD/CAM technology has reshaped restorative dentistry by enabling single-visit indirect restorations fabricated from glass-ceramics, zirconia, polymer-infiltrated ceramic networks (PICN), and resin nanoceramics. Despite a rapidly growing body of evidence, no recent systematic synthesis has integrated mechanical, adhesive, ageing-related, and clinical outcomes within a unified framework. Methods: This systematic review was conducted and reported in accordance with PRISMA 2020. A structured electronic search was performed in the Web of Science Core Collection and MEDLINE via PubMed for studies published between January 2021 and May 2026. The search was complemented by Google Scholar and reference-list screening. Eligible primary studies were selected according to predefined PICOS criteria and synthesised qualitatively because methodological and outcome heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis. Of the 444 records initially identified, 332 were screened after duplicate removal, and 31 primary studies met all eligibility criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis. Review-level publications were used only for reference-list screening and contextual comparison and did not contribute data to the synthesis. Results: Laboratory studies indicated favourable flexural-strength profiles for lithium disilicate, advanced lithium disilicate, and Y-TZP zirconia, while PICN blocks showed comparatively favourable resistance to thermomechanical ageing. The limited available clinical evidence reported high short-term survival for chairside CAD/CAM restorations, but did not permit definitive comparisons between material classes. Across the predominantly in vitro bonding studies, hydrofluoric-acid etching followed by silanisation produced the most consistent bond-strength results for glass-ceramics, whereas Al2O3 air-abrasion combined with an MDP-containing primer showed favourable bond strength to zirconia. Universal adhesives showed promising laboratory performance on hybrid blocks but did not consistently match the performance of dedicated surface-conditioning protocols for glass-ceramics and zirconia. Conclusions: Material selection in chairside dentistry should consider intrinsic material properties, surface-conditioning requirements, and the planned cementation strategy. Standardised laboratory protocols and adequately powered prospective clinical studies with longer follow-up are required before definitive material-specific clinical recommendations can be established, particularly for advanced lithium disilicate and multilayer zirconias.