An ex vivo study of the effects of retained coronal dentine on the strength of teeth restored with composite core and different post and core systems

Aim To investigate the fracture resistance and fracture patterns of teeth restored with composite cores supported by different pre-fabricated post systems and different heights of remaining coronal dentine. Methodology Four groups of 30 single rooted teeth were used. Each group was divided into three subgroups of 10 teeth each and restored with carbon fibre, glass fibre, or Radix titanium posts luted with dual cure resin cement. The control group A had no retained coronal dentine. Groups B, C and D had 2, 3 and 4 mm of retained buccal and lingual coronal dentine, respectively. Teeth were tested to failure using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. Subsequently, the fracture mode of specimens was recorded. Results Teeth with retained dentine were more resistant to fracture (P = 0.001). Tooth fracture resistance was not significantly different between groups B, C and D. Within group A, titanium posts were associated with higher fracture resistance than fibre posts. Within the other groups, tooth fracture resistance was not related to post material. Within groups C and D, fracture resistance of teeth restored with carbon fibre posts was significantly higher than those restored with glass fibre posts. The dominant fracture mode in group A was core and vertical oblique root fracture whilst a combination of core, coronal dentine and root fracture occurred in the other groups. Conclusions Fracture resistance of teeth increased with the presence of retained coronal dentine. The use of glass and carbon fibre posts did not improve the fracture resistance or the fracture pattern of teeth when compared with metal titanium posts regardless of the presence of retained coronal dentine. The dominant fracture pattern of teeth was not related to the amount of retained dentine if it was >2 mm high.