Internal adaptation and mechanical properties of CAD/CAM glass fiber post-cores in molars: An in vitro study.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the internal adaptation, fracture resistance, and fracture pattern of the residual roots and crowns of molars restored with computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) glass fiber post-cores, and compare them with three other post-core restorations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We selected 32 extracted maxillary first molars and divided them into four groups according to the post-core system: traditional casting titanium (Ti) post-cores (TC group); Ti post-cores fabricated with selective laser melting (SLM group); CAD/CAM glass fiber post-cores of the split type (CCS group); and prefabricated glass fiber posts and composite resin cores (PF group). The internal adaptation was analyzed with microcomputed tomography. Teeth were restored with monolithic zirconia crowns and subjected to thermocycling and cyclic loading. A load was applied consistently along the long axis of the tooth until fracture to record the fracture resistance and pattern. For the statistical analysis, one- and two-way analyses of variance, Tukey's post hoc and chi-square tests were performed to compare the differences among the groups.

RESULTS

The CCS, TC, and SLM groups exhibited similar internal adaptations across all sections (P < 0.05). The FP group showed good fit with the root canals in the apical and middle sections but a poor fit with those in the cervical section. The fracture resistance was higher in the CCS, TC, and SLM groups compared to the PF group (P < 0.05). The proportions of restorable fractures in the CCS and PF groups were 62.5% and 50%, respectively. Unrestorable fractures were more frequent in the TC and SLM groups at frequencies of 100% and 87.5%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The internal adaptation and fracture resistance of the CCS group were similar to those of the TC and SLM groups, and the fracture pattern was mostly restorable, thus meeting the clinical requirements for molar post-core restorations.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

CCS can be used to restore residual roots and crowns of molars and exhibit high efficacy in terms of adaptability and mechanical properties. More studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of CCS.