Dental Composite Offers Comparable or Greater Pullout and Shear Strength to Lateral Mass Screw Fixation in a Human Cadaveric Model

BACKGROUND: Lateral mass screw fixation is the common method of fixation for an instrumented posterior fusion of the subaxial cervical spine. While screws have established efficacy, adhesive material that can be applied to the bony surface may be a promising alternative strategy owing to ease of application, size, and avoidance of screw loosening, malposition, or fracture. METHODS: tests with a 2-sided level of significance of α = 0.05. RESULTS: = 0.7). The composite failure mechanism under shear loading for half of the specimens was composite separation from bone, whereas the rest failed due to fractures distant from the composite site, indicating robust fixation integrity of composite to bone. CONCLUSIONS: Dental composite displayed similar shear strength and greater pullout strength compared with lateral mass screws. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: An adhesion-based fixation strategy may serve as a viable alternative to traditional screws in specific clinical scenarios that are worthy of further investigation.