Impact of Long Fiber Placement on the Fracture Resistance of Premolars Restored with Direct Resin Composite “In Vitro Study”

Background: There is widespread agreement that incorporating fiber-reinforced composites significantly improves the fracture resistance of molars that have extensive cavities. However, there remains controversy over the effect of fiber placement in the direct resin composite restorations of structurally compromised premolars. Aim: To assess the fracture resistance of structurally compromised premolars restored with polyethylene fibers in comparison to those filled using incremental packing with conventional nanohybrid composite. Materials and Methods: Thirty maxillary premolars were randomly assigned to 3 groups (n = 10). Group 1: Sound premolars served as the control group, Group 2: MOD prepared cavities restored with nano-hybrid composite applied with an incremental technique, Group 3: MOD prepared cavities restored with polyethylene fiber reinforced composite placed on the pulpal floor. Results: Results showed a statistically significant difference between the fracture resistance of the experimental groups (p