COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF FRACTURE RESISTANCE OF ENDODONTICALLY TREATED MAXILLARY PREMOLARS REINFORCED WITH THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FIBER POSTS IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS: AN IN VITRO STUDY

Background and objectives of the study The present study aimed to evaluate the fracture resistance of endodontically treated maxillary premolars reinforced with three different types of fiber post in two different ways Materials & Method A total of 60 maxillary first premolars , which were extracted completely for periodontal reasons, were chosen. All extracted teeth were stored in a sterile solution until further use. MOD cavity was prepared and then access cavity preparation was done by using round bur followed by BMP was done untill 30-6% , obturation was done using AH-plus sealer and divided into 3 groups based on the type of fiber post used GROUP 1-Glass fiber post GROUP 2 - Carbon fiber post GROUP 3- Quartz fiber post and these again divided into two subgroups SUBGROUP A denoting post space preparation keeping 5mm of gutta percha apically followed by composite restoration and SUBGROUP B denoting post space preparation with 3mm of coronal root space and buccopalatal flaring of remaining coronal fibers followed by composite restoration. All the restored teeth were thermocycled for for 500 cycles between 5°C and 55°C, dwell time 15 s followed by immersion in physiological saline, and incubation at 37°C for 15 day. After 15 days all the spicemen were sent to lab for comparing the fracture resistance and fracture pattren using universal testing machine Results The highest fracture resistance was seen in quartz fiber post followed by glass and carbon fiber post. The fracture reistance from highest to lowest followed as such 3B >1B >3A > 1A >2B >2A, All the fiber post showed favourable fracture patterns Interpretation and Conclusion This study concluded that, quartz fiber post showed highest fracture resistance due to its proprites followed by glass fiber post and carbon fiber post and Subgroup B showing highest fracture resistance because buccopalatal flaring can compromise the structural integrity of endodontically treated teeth. The distribution of fracture patterns among different groups showed a comparable trend. Favourable fracture pattern seen in highest propotion among all groups. Unfavourable fractures were relatively low across all groups