Glassfiber post: an alternative for restoring grossly decayed primary incisors

Fracture Resistance and Push-Out Bond Strength of Three Post Types in the Restoration of Anterior Primary Teeth - A In Vitro study

CONTEXT

Restoration fractures and displacement are the two main causes of failure after the rehabilitation of severely worn primary anterior teeth.

AIMS

Compare the effect of three post types on the fracture and push-out bond strength.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Sixty undamaged maxillary anterior primary teeth were allocated into three groups according to post type: (I) Tetric N Ceram composite post, (II) prefabricated glass fiber post, and (III) high viscous glass ionomer post. Each group was further subdivided into two sub-groups depending on the test used: fracture resistance test and push-out bond strength test. The all specimens were mounted in acrylic resin blocks and tested using a universal testing machine. The fracture and failure mode were determined by a stereomicroscope inspection of all the specimens. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Bonferroni post hoc test ( P < 0.05).

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant difference between fracture resistance and push-out bond strength values for the experimental groups ( P < 0.05). The most significant fracture resistance value was in Group II and core/post fracture (restorable fracture) was the most obvious fracture in the three groups with the highest percentage in Group I. The most significant push-out bond strength value was in Group I and adhesive failure between dentin and luting cement/post was the most common type in the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The fracture resistance and push-out bond strength were affected by the type of post ( P = 0.000). Prefabricated glass fiber posts showed the highest fracture resistance in this study. However, Tetric N Ceram composite posts had the most restorable fracture. Tetric N Ceram composite posts had the highest bond strength with adhesive failure mode.

Esthetic Rehabilitation of Severely Mutilated Anterior Primary Teeth Using Fiber Post - Case Reports

Premature loss of primary teeth due to early childhood caries could be treated with different options. Presented cases discuss the clinical sequence of rehabilitation of maxillary anterior primary teeth. Endodontic treatment was followed by composite resin restoration reinforced with fiberglass post. Two case reports present a treatment option for severely mutilated primary maxillary incisors due to early childhood caries.

Posts in Primary Teeth-Past to Present: A Review of Literature

Early childhood caries is indeed a devastative situation for both patients’ parents and pediatric dentists. The primary goal in treating severe early childhood caries is to restore normal function such as maintenance of mesiodistal and vertical dimension, prevention of alteration of mastication, phonetics (due to premature loss), development of parafunctional habits, and prevention of psychological problems affecting the self-esteem of a child. The restoration of primary dentition with extensive carious lesions is a complex clinical challenge of several dimensions. The severity of this condition in maxillary anterior teeth has prompted the extraction of teeth due to inadequate esthetic treatment options. The only concern with the severely destructed primary incisors is a lack of crown structure, which fails to support and adhere to a composite crown. Clinicians have preferred many restorative modalities for esthetic rehabilitation of badly decayed anterior primary teeth with numerous root canal retentive post and core systems with appropriate techniques to preserve those teeth until they are replaced by permanent teeth. This review highlights the various posts, their indications, principles, ideal properties, and the current concepts on their use in pediatric dentistry.

Comparison of Fracture Resistance of Primary Incisors Restored with Different Intracanal-Reinforcement Materials

Aim

To evaluate the effects of placing short posts made of different restorative materials on the fracture resistance of root canals in primary incisors of primary teeth.

Materials and Methods

The root canals of 40 extracted primary incisors were prepared and filled with Vitapex and randomly divided into five groups of 8 each. In Groups 1–4, a post space was created and filled with different restorative materials (Tetric^® N-Ceram Bulk Fill, AeliteFlo, Filtek Z250 XT, and GC Fuji II LC^® capsule), while Group 5 was kept filled with Vitapex as a control. Fracture resistance was measured using a universal testing machine at a 0.5-mm/min crosshead speed. The results were statistically analyzed and compared.

Results

The highest fracture resistance was recorded for GC Fuji II LC capsules [439.82 N] and control [423.37 N], while the lowest fracture resistance was recorded for Tetric^® N Ceram Bulk Fill (239.91 N). A multiple comparison test showed that the Tetric^® N-Ceram Bulk Fill had a significantly lower average value than AeliteFlo (P = 0.030), as well as a significantly lower average value than GC Fuji II LC^® capsule (P = 0.001), and a significantly lower average value than the control group (P = 0.002). Multiple comparison tests showed no significant difference between Tetric^® N-Ceram Bulk Fill and Filtek Z250 XT (P = 0.39).

Conclusion

The fracture resistance of primary incisor root canals differs according to the material used for the intracanal posts. Three-millimeter intracanal posts in the primary incisors showed the highest fracture resistance for the teeth restored with GC Fuji II LC capsules and the control.