Fracture Strength of Composite Rest Seats: An In Vitro Comparative Study of Different Composite versus Amalgam Restorations

Abstract

Occlusal rest provides support for removable partial dentures (RPD). Rest seats are ideally prepared in enamel, but the abutment teeth might be restored or need restorations. This study compared the fracture strength of abutments restored with composite to amalgam restorations after rest seat preparation. Disto-occlusal cavities were prepared in 30 extracted human maxillary premolars. The specimens were allocated in three groups (n = 10) based on the type of restoration. All the specimens were exposed to thermomechanical aging followed by cycling loading. Fracture strength was tested using a universal testing machine, and then, the fracture mode was recorded. The data were analyzed using Kruskal–Wallis test with a significance level set at 0.05. The fracture mode was recorded as catastrophic or non-catastrophic. The fracture strength between all tested groups showed no significant difference. The highest and lowest fracture strength were recorded on amalgam and Tetric N-Ceram groups, respectively. Composite Tetric N-Ceram showed equal distribution of fracture sites on the restorative materials and teeth, it also displayed the highest number of non-catastrophic fractures unlike other groups where the fracture occurred more within the restorations. The fracture strength of composite was comparable to that of amalgam restorations with prepared rest seats.