Clinical performance of custom-milled polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) posts and cores: A 12-month follow-up randomized controlled pilot study.

Objectives: Comparing the survival rate and the cumulative success rates of custom-milled polyetherketone ketone posts and cores (MPP) with prefabricated fiber posts (PFP) in restoring compromised endodontically treated premolars.
Material and Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, parallel, two-arm controlled pilot study. A total of 24 patients (12 males, 12 females), each had a compromised lower premolar, needed a root canal treatment and to be restored with post and core. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups, MPP-group: restored with MPP, and PFP-group: restored with PFP and composite cores. After that, premolars were restored with single porcelain fused to metal (PFM) crowns. Clinical and radiographic follow-ups were conducted after 3, 6, and 12 months. The Kaplan-Meier, log-Rank, and χ ² tests were used to investigate differences between the two groups at the 0.05 significance level.
Results: The survival rate after 12 months in the MPP and PFP groups was 66.7% and 100%, respectively. Meanwhile, the cumulative success rates were 63.6% and 100% in the same order. The log-rank test showed a significant difference between the two groups (p = .031). The difference in cumulative success rates was also significant, as the χ ² test revealed (p = .011).
Conclusion: The PFP group showed a higher success rate than the MPP group and according to the failure types, PEKK posts seem to be inferior to PFP in terms of the mechanical properties and bonding to resin mechanism.
Trial Registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN13456471. October, 14, 2019. (https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN13456471ISRCTN13456471).
(© 2024 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Dental Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)