Mechanical evaluation of two prosthetic abutments' restoration techniques

In the last decade, the development of adhesive dentistry allowed the restoration of endodontically treated teeth through the use of fiber posts and composite resins, excluding casted or preformed metallic posts. Objectives: the aim of this work is to compare the mechanical characteristics of two techniques used on endodontically treated teeth which need a pre-prosthetic restoration. Methods: twenty extracted inferior healthy premolars kept in physiological solution were selected. Endodontic treatment and the removal of the crown 2 mm above the cementum-enamel-junction was performed on each tooth. All the teeth received a post and abutment of the same length, diameter and shape, as follows: a) ten were restored using quartz fiber posts and hybrid light curing composites with a build-up technique; b) ten were restored using fiber posts and new original preformed abutments made of epoxidic resin and quartz fibers. All teeth underwent the following tests: compression, traction and bending using a dinamometer (Lloyd Instruments LR - type 10 K). Stress-deformation bends of samples were obtained. Results: our results showed mechanical differences of statistical significance between the two pre-prosthetic restoration techniques. Conclusions: this study shows the possibility of performing a new prosthetic abutment's building technique, exclusively on monoradicular teeth which have a destroyed crown