Fracture resistance of endodontically treated roots after restoration

This study evaluated the shear strength resistance of endodontically treated roots that were restored by two different techniques. Twenty-seven recently extracted single-rooted teeth with similar anatomic characteristics were sectioned to obtain the same length for all specimens. Group I (GI) consisted of 14 roots restored with cast post-core (nickel-chromium alloy) and cemented using zinc phosphate cement; group II (GII) consisted of 13 roots restored with steel prefabricated posts (FKG(R)) cemented with zinc phosphate cement and rotated with caution for anchorage. The crown portion of this group was made using a hybrid composite resin (Prisma APH(R)). Results showed that on all specimens of GI the fracture occurred in the cervical root structure while in GII the composite resin fractured in all specimens. Statistical analysis showed a significantly higher resistance to fracture for GI than GII. The specimens were sectioned longitudinally for stereoscopic microscope analysis (63x) and did not show fracture lines in the dentin anchorage post area for any of the specimens.