Evaluation of the clinical success of direct restorations of endodontically treated posterior teeth in the presence of parafunction: a 12-month pilot study.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this prospective, randomized, parallel-group clinical study was to compare the 6- and 12-month clinical performances of direct composite restorations with or without fiber-reinforced composite applied to endodontically treated posterior teeth (ETpT) in bruxists.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-two ETpT were randomly restored with only posterior composite (gneal posterior, GC; CR group) or fiber-reinforced composite (EverX flow, GC) + posterior composite (FRCR group) in bruxists aged 18-65 years (n = 16). The inclusion criteria were as follows: bruxists with ETpT; class 1/2 cavities; the remaining functional wall at least 3 mm thick; teeth with a natural tooth in the opposite arch; and adjacent teeth on both approximal sides. The presence of periapical symptoms, posterior teeth with tubercule loss, and teeth with root canal fillings at least 2 mm short of the radiographic apex were excluded.

RESULTS

All restorations were evaluated at 6 and 12 months on the basis of the World Dental Federation (FDI) criteria. No failure was reported, and clinical success was recorded for all aesthetic, functional, and biological criteria at 6 and 12 months of follow-up in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Small/medium-sized direct composite restorations with or without fiber-reinforced composites demonstrated excellent and similar clinical performances at 12 months in bruxists.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Since parafunctional forces can be significantly higher than normal chewing forces, the study focused exclusively on patients with bruxism. The 12-month clinically successful outcomes of direct composite restorations both with and without SFRC in this study will guide future long-terms studies in evaluating restorations of ETpT in bruxists.

DATE OF REGISTRATION

2025-03-11 (retrospectively registered).

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

This prospective, randomized, parallel-group clinical study was registered in a publicly accessible database with clinicalTriald.gov.ID No. NCT06870188.