Effects of design on stress distribution of intracoronal gold restorations.

Eight intracoronal and extracoronal designs for gold restorations with different tapers to the lateral walls were investigated to determine the most efficient design in distributing occlusal stresses. It was found that the occulusal wall of an inlay cavity with a 7 degree taper and no bevel resulted in a better stress distribution than a cavity preparation with a greater taper or a long bevel. It was shown further that a wide inlay preparation resulted in less stress if the cusps were protected by gold.