Insufficient evidence on whether to restore root-filled teeth with single crowns or routine fillings.

Data sourcesMedline, Cochrane Oral Health Groups Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, CINAHL, LILACS.Study selectionThree authors independently assessed the abstracts of studies resulting from the above searches which compared indirect restorations of single endodontically treated teeth (ETT) to direct restoration of single ETT.Data extraction and synthesisTitles and abstracts of all reports identified through the electronic searches were assessed independently by two authors with any disagreements on eligibility resolved by a third reviewing author based on agreed upon inclusion and exclusion criteria. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Catastrophic failure of the restored tooth or restoration leading directly to extraction was the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures included patient quality of life, incidence of recurring caries, periodontal health status and cost of the use of different interventions. Data analysis was carried out using the, 'treatment as allocated', patient population, expressing estimates of intervention effect for dichotomous data as risk ratios, with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsOne trial which was judged to be at high risk of performance, detection and attrition bias was included. There was no clear difference between the crown and composite group and the composite only group for non-catastrophic failures of the restoration (1/54 versus 3/53; RR 0.33; 95% CI 0.04 to 3.05) or failures of the post (2/54 versus 1/53; RR 1.96; 95% CI 0.18 to 21.01) at three years. The quality of the evidence for these outcomes was judged to be very low. There was no evidence available for any secondary outcomes.ConclusionsInsufficient evidence exists to assess the effects of crowns compared to conventional fillings for the restoration of root-filled teeth. Until more evidence becomes available, clinicians should continue to base decisions about how to restore root-filled teeth on their own clinical experience, whilst taking into consideration the individual circumstances and preferences of their patients.