Fracture behaviors of maxillary central incisors with flared root canals restored with CAD/CAM integrated glass fiber post-and-core

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the fracture resistance properties of maxillary incisors with flared canals restored with computer aided design and computer aided manufacture (CAD/CAM) integrated glass fiber post-and-core. Thirty prepared flared root canals were selected in vitro and restored with CAD/CAM integrated fiber post-and-core (Group A), prefabricated fiber posts (Group B), and cast gold alloy (Group C), respectively. After submitted to fatigue loading, each specimen was subjected to a static loading until fracture. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were used to determine statistical differences. The mean fracture strengths of Groups A and C were significantly higher than those of Group B, whereas no differences were observed between Groups A and C. In addition, reparable fracture modes were mostly observed in Group A while irreparable and catastrophic fractures were mostly found in Groups B and C. These results demonstrate that, in comparison to traditional treatments, CAD/CAM integrated glass fiber post-and-core restoration significantly enhances the fracture resistance of flared root canals.