Abstract
Background:
Dental restoration materials have upgraded enough in the past decade for accommodation the patient demands of high esthetic and functional properties. For years porcelain fused to metal restoration was the first demanded restoration, but nowadays the demand of metal free restoration such as zirconia and e-max has increased due to its high esthetic appearance that match the natural teeth appearance.
Aim:
In this study, the author aims to declare the comparative preference between Zirconia and E-max among dentists in Saudi Arabia
Methodology:
The researcher prepared a survey consisting of 11 questions with multi choice answers to investigate the preference between Zirconia and E-max among dentists in Saudi Arabia. Then, during December, 2018 and January, 2019 the researcher sent this survey via email to (1100) dentists in Saudi Arabia asking them to participate in his survey by answering the questions of the survey. The answers of the dentists were counted and undergone statistical analysis.
Results:
The researcher received answers for his survey from (1000) dentists. The dentists were varying in sex , age, location type, region and their practical experience. The highest percentage of them were owners of a private practice and associates/ employers of a private practice. The highest percentage of the dentists preferred lithium dislocate (e.g. E-max) more than all zirconia and layered zirconia for both anterior and posterior teeth due to many reasons, one of the most explained reasons was the perfect esthetic appearance and accurate shade matching that can be obtained using lithium dislicate more than both types of zirconia. Statistical analysis using SPSS software version 16 was done for studying the results which showed more preference between dentists for E-max more than all zirconia and layered zirconia with varying degrees. Statistically, there was obvious relationship between the dentist's experience, location type and their preference between either e-max and zirconia.
Conclusion:
By studying these results, e-max is preferred among dentists more than layered zirconia and all zirconia. Few studies have focused on the comparative preference between e-max and zirconia in oral cavity among dentists in Saudi Arabia and most of them were trials.

Key words: zirconia/e-max/dentists preference/all zirconia/layered zirconia