Open Journal of Stomatology, 2013, 3, 379-385 OJST
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojst.2013.37064 Published Online October 2013 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/ojst/)
Effect of restorative techniques on fracture resistance of
endodontically treated premolars
Bandar M. A. Al-Makramani1*, Abdul A. A. Razak2, Ng M. Yi3, Sin Y. Ying3, Fuad A. Al-Sanabani4
1Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Sana’a University, Sana’a, Yemen
2Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
3Dental Student, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
4Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Sana’a University, Sana’a, Yemen
Received 20 September 2013; revised 15 October 2013; accepted 17 October 2013
Copyright © 2013 Bandar M. A. AL-Makramani et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attri-
bution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study was aimed to evaluate the effect
of restorative materials and glass fiber post on the
fracture resistance of endodontically treated premo-
lars. Material and Methods: Fifty extracted single
rooted lower premolars were used in this in vitro
study and divided into 5 groups: sound teeth (control
group); mesial-occlusal-distal (MOD) preparation +
endodontic treatment + composite restoration; MOD
preparatio n + endodontic trea tment + glass f iber post
+ composite restoration; MOD preparation + endo-
dontic treatment + amalgam restoration; MOD
preparatio n + endodontic trea tment + glass f iber post
+ amalgam restoration. The specimens were loaded
on a universal testing machine at the crosshead speed
of 1 mm/min until fracture. The data were analyzed
using two-way ANOVA test. Results: The mean loads
at fracture were 860.11 N, 801.79 N, 761.39 N, 737.14
N and 707.85 N respectively. There were no statisti-
cally significant differences (P > 0.05) in the fracture
resistance of teeth restored with composite and amal-
gam, as well as restored with or without glass fiber
post. Conclusions: The type of restorative material
and the usage of glass fiber post do not have visible
influence on the fracture resistance of the endodonti-
cally t r e a t e d mandibular premolars.
Keywords: Endodontic Treatment; Fiber Post; Fracture
Resistance
1. INTRODUCTION
Endodontically treated (endo-treated) teeth are often
compromised by structural destruction from dental caries,
fractures, previous restorations and endodontic treatment
[1-4]. The restoration of endo-treated teeth has always
been a challenge to the clinician. Although the fracture
potential of endo-treated teeth has been studied, yet to
date, no definite relationship has been established be-
tween fracture and the type of restoration [5].
Root canal treatment should not be considered com-
plete until the permanent restoration has been placed [6].
There are a few requirements for an adequate restoration
of an endo-treated tooth. The restoration must provide a
coronal seal, protect the remaining tooth structure, mini-
mize the cuspal flexure and satisfy function and aesthet-
ics [7].
Besides a crown, there are other restorative materials
which are used to restore endo-treated tooth. These in-
clude silver amalgam alloy, composite resin, glass iono-
mer cement and resin modified glass ionomer materials
[8]. Dental amalgam and composite resins are the most
commonly used ones [9].
Dental amalgam has been characterized as technically
easy to use and a clinically predictable material, with
favorable mechanical properties [10]. The use and suc-
cess rate of dental amalgams have been well documented
and they are the most cost effective materials in posterior
teeth restorations, but they are declining in use in den-
tistry mainly due to the unaesthetic appearance and con-
cerns about the hazard of mercury [11-13]. The evidence
suggests that complex amalgam restorations exhibit sur-
prising durability and may have sufficient strength to
protect the remaining tooth structure [14].
As alternatives to amalgam, direct adhesive restorative
techniques with composite resin have been proposed,
since these materials bond to tooth structure, and thus
increase fracture resistance [15-17]. However, composite
resin cores are not as dimensionally stable as amalgam
*Corresponding author.

B. M. A. Al-Makramani et al. / Open Journal of Stomatology 3 (2013) 379-385 380
[18]. It also demonstrates high polymerization shrinkage
which will cause stress on the adhesive bond [19]. The
stress will lead to debonding at the weakest interface and
hence cause fracture in a composite restored tooth [20].
The difficult handling properties, such as creation of a
tight gingival seal and restoration of anatomic form and
contact point, are additional limitations of composite
resin materials [21].
The final restoration of an endo-treated premolar may
require a post as it is bulkier than anterior teeth and often
are single-rooted with relatively small pulp chambers
[22]. Traditionally, custom made casted posts and cores
covered by metal or porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns
were the restorations of choice [23]. In the 1970s prefab-
ricated metal posts were made available [24].
Today, prefabricated ceramic and fiber-reinforced posts
are getting more and more popular [23]. The recently
developed fiber post has similar biomechanical proper-
ties to dentine [25]. The main purpose of the post is to
retain the core in case of extensive loss of coronal tooth
structure [22]. However, inserting a fiber post into a root
canal for restoration retention has not always improved
fracture resistance. But it was noted that they improved
fracture patterns from non-restorable to restorable [5]. It
has been claimed that the placement of a fiber post may
play a protective role for teeth with a substantial degree
of coronal destruction [26]. A recent prospective clinical
trial has revealed that premolars with posts have a sig-
nificantly higher success rate than those restored without
post over a two-year observation period [26].
However, because of the tendency of the post to weaken
the roots and cause root fracture, post should only be
used to retain core within restoration of the endo-treated
teeth when no other alternative options are available [2].
Preparation of a post space may increase risk to a re-
storative procedure. These accidents include perforation
in the apical portion of the root or into the lateral fluted
areas of the midroot, a so-called “strip perforation” [22].
Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effect
of restorative materials on the fracture resistance of endo-
treated premolar teeth. In addition, this study evaluated
the effect of glass fiber post on the fracture resistance of
endo-treated premolar teeth. The hypotheses to be tested
were: 1) there would be no difference in fracture strength
between endo-treated teeth restored with amalgam core
and composite core restorations, and 2) the use of glass
fiber post in endo-treated teeth would not influence the
fracture strength.
2. MATERIAL AND METHODS
Two restorative materials, nanocomposite (Filte Z350
Universal Restorative A3.5 Shade, 3M ESPE, USA) and
amalgam (Dispersalloy amalgam capsule, Dentsply Caulk,
USA) were used in this study. In addition, glass fiber
post (Radix Fiber Post, Dentsply Maillefer, France) and a
universal resin luting cement (RelyX U100, 3M ESPE,
Seefeld, Germany) were used.
Intact extracted single rooted human mandibular pre-
molars were collected and stored in solution of 0.9%
normal saline to avoid desiccation. The collected teeth
were free of cracks and fractures, had no evidence of
caries or restorations and had no previous endodontic
treatment. The premolars were cleaned off calculus and
periodontal tissue using an ultrasonic scaler (EMS, A-
dec, USA). After that, all teeth were disinfected in 0.5%
chloramine T trihydrate solution for 1 week. The teeth
were then stored in distilled water at 4˚C (ISO/TS
11405/2003) until further processing. To minimize dete-
rioration, the storage medium was changed every one
week. From the total number of teeth collected, 50 man-
dibular premolars with almost similar size and shape
were selected by measuring its buccal-lingual, mesial-
distal crown width and tooth length in millimeters using
a digital caliper (Electronic Digital Calliper, Mitutoyo
Corp, Tokyo, Japan) (mean width: 7.54 × 8.39 mm,
mean tooth length: 21.82 mm). All teeth were radiogra-
phed in proximal direction to ensure that the selected
teeth have only 1 canal, no internal resorption or canal
abnormalities. The selected specimens were examined at
20× magnification, using a stereoscopic microscope
(Olympus SZ2-1LST, Olympus Corp., Tokyo, Japan) to
ensure fracture-free roots.
The 50 selected teeth were randomly assigned to 5
groups of 10 specimens each. Group 1 served as a con-
trol group (intact teeth). Group 2 and Group 3 were as-
signed for composite restoration, with prefabricated fiber
post inserted into the samples of Group 3 prior to the
composite restoration. Group 4 and Group 5 were as-
signed for amalgam restoration, with fiber post inserted
into the samples of Group 5 prior to the amalgam resto-
ration. The groups are illustrated in Table 1.
Prior to MOD cavity preparation, the specimens were
mounted in impression compound blocks to ensure good
grip and control movement during manipulation. A stan-
dardized MOD cavity preparation was prepared for all
groups except for the control group. MOD measurement:
buccal-lingual width and the depth of the occlusal isth-
mus were 2 mm; buccal-lingual width of the proximal
preparation was 3 mm, width of the gingival floor was
1.0 mm and the height of the axial wall was 1.5 mm. The
preparation was done by one operator for standardization
purposes.
Endodontic procedure was carried out on all groups
except Group 1 (control group). An endodontic access
cavity with straight line access, as determined by the
outline of the pulp space, was prepared. The pulp cham-
ber and pulp horn were unroofed. The pulp was first ex-
tirpated with a barbed broach (Dentsply Maillefer,

B. M. A. Al-Makramani et al. / Open Journal of Stomatology 3 (2013) 379-385 381
Table 1. Grouping of sample.
Group Abbreviation Description
1 ST Sound teeth (control group)
2 MOD-C Mesial-occlusal-distal preparation + endodontic treatment + composite resin
3 MOD-P-C Mesial-occlusal-distal preparation + endodontic treatment + glass fiber post + composite resin
4 MOD-A Mesial-occlusal-distal preparation + endodontic treatment + amalgam restoration
5 MOD-P-A Mesial-occlusal-distal preparation + endodontic treatment + glass fiber post + amalgam restoration
Ballaigues, Switzerland). The canal patency was estab-
lished with a size 10 K-file (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballai-
gues, Switzerland). The file was placed in the canal with
light pressure until its tip was just visible at the apical
foramen. The true working length was set at 1.0 mm
short of this file length. After the working length was
accomplished, the apical canal was prepared using
K-files. The teeth were only included if the first file that
bind to the canal wall up to the working length was size
20 K-file. The apical sections were further instrumented
with 3 larger K-flies (size 25, 30, 35) using circumferen-
tial filing up to working length. Thereby, the master api-
cal file used was size 35 at working length. The apical
third of the canal was prepared using a step-back tech-
nique in 1mm increments with each larger size. After
each filing, the canals were repeatedly irrigated with 3.0
mL of 2.5% sodium hypochlorite solution (NaOCl)
(Clorox, Clorox Inc, Malaysia). After canal preparation,
the teeth were obturated with gutta-purcha (Dentsply
Maillefer, Ballaiguis, China) and endodontic sealer (Top
Seal, Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaiguis, Switzerland) using
the lateral condensation technique. All procedures were
done by a single operator for standardization purposes.
After 24 hours, the gutta-purcha was removed for speci-
mens in Group 3 and 5 only. Prior to preparation of the
post space, the gutta-purcha was removed with peeso-
reamer burs size 1 (LRGO Peeso Reamer, REF A 0009-1,
Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). The burs
were adjusted with a rubber stopper to 4 mm shorter than
the working length of each tooth, leaving behind 4 mm
of gutta-purcha at the apical portion of the root.
Post space preparation was done using a low speed
drill size 2 (Easy Post Precision Drills, REF C060-2,
Dentsply Maillefer, France) provided by the manufac-
turer of the fiber post system used (Radix Fiber Post,
Dentsply Maillefer, France). The size of the drill was the
same as the size of the fiber post to be used, which was
standardized at the diameter of 0.8 mm at the apical por-
tion and 1.47 mm at the coronal portion. The post length
was standardized at 1 mm of post embedded into the
restoration for all samples in Group 3 and 5. Once the
post length was measured, the excess length at the cor-
onal part of the fiber post was cut using a diamond bur
(2979.314.014, Komet, Rock Hill, SC, USA).
All posts were cemented using self-adhesive universal
resin cement (RelyX U100, 3M ESPE, Germany) ac-
cording to manufacturer’s instructions. All samples in
Group 2 and 3 with MOD cavity preparation were re-
stored with nanocomposite (Filtek Z350, 3M ESPE, USA).
Whereas, the samples in Group 4 and 5 with MOD cavity
preparation were restored with amalgam (Dispersalloy
amalgam capsule, DENTSPLY Caulk, USA). All proce-
dures were done by one operator to avoid variability.
The teeth were removed from the impression com-
pound blocks. The root surface of all samples was
marked with a marker pen throughout the perimeter at 2
mm below the cemento-enamel junction. The area apical
to this line was painted with hydrophilic vinyl polysi-
loxane impression material (GC Exaflex regular, GC
America, Alsip, USA) to simulate the periodontal liga-
ment of a natural tooth. A dental surveyor was used to
position the long axis of the teeth vertically. Each sample
was then embedded along its long axis into cold-cure
epoxy resin (Mirapox 950 - 230 A/B, Miracon Sdn Bhd,
Malaysia) contained inside a cylindrical plastic mould
(Figure 1). The samples were left for 24 hours to allow
complete setting of the epoxy resin.
All samples were stored in water at 37˚C for 24 hours
prior to thermocycling. Thermocycling (Thermocycling
machine, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya,
Malaysia) was then carried out between 5˚C and 5˚C
using 20 seconds dwell times with a 5 seconds transfer
interval. This procedure was carried out according to ISO
(ISO/TS 11405/2003).
The mounted specimens were placed on the lower
compartment of a high precision universal testing ma-
chine (Shimadzu, Shimadzu Corp., Tokyo, Japan). A 2
mm stainless steel bar, mounted on the crosshead of the
Shimadzu testing machine was used and applied a com-
pressive load along the long axis of the tooth at a cross-
head speed of 1 mm/min until failure occurred (Figure
2). The 2 mm stainless steel bar was applied at the resto-
ration and the occlusal inclines of the buccal and lingual
cusps to standardize loading point to all specimens. The
load at failure was recorded as the maximum force dur-
ing loading. The data were statistically analyzed using a
computer program (SPSS version 15.0, SPSS Inc., Chi-
cago, IL, USA). A two-way ANOVA test was performed

B. M. A. Al-Makramani et al. / Open Journal of Stomatology 3 (2013) 379-385 382
Figure 1. The tooth inside plastic mould ready to be embedded
in resin.
for the comparison of the fracture load of the different
groups. Statistical significance was set at α = 0.05.
3. RESULTS
The values of the mean force of fracture for the 5 groups
are listed in Table 2. Groups MOD-C and MOD-P-C,
which used the composite restoration, showed higher
fracture resistance than groups MOD-A and MOD-P-A,
in which the amalgam restoration was used. However,
there were no significant differences among the 5 groups
as indicated by the two-way ANOVA test (P = 0.949).
There was no statistically significant difference be-
tween the group restored with nanocomposite (MOD-C)
and the group restored with amalgam (MOD-A) (P =
0.551). In addition, the two groups with glass fiber posts
(MOD-P-C and MOD-P-A) did not show any statistically
significant difference with the groups without glass fiber
posts (MOD-C and MOD-A) (P = 0.688).
4. DISCUSSION
In this in vitro study, extracted human lower premolars
were used to assess the fracture resistance of endo-
treated teeth restored with glass fiber post and different
restorative materials. Although the teeth were carefully
selected for similar dimensions, it remains impossible to
avoid variations in the mechanical and physical proper-
ties of natural teeth. These variations might have accounted
for the large standard deviation observed in the results of
this study. Similarly, this has been reported in other stud-
ies [9,27,28]. Therefore, The buccal-lingual, mesial-dis-
Figure 2. Tooth sample assembled to the universal testing ma-
chine ready to be loaded along its long axis.
tal and tooth length dimensions were standardized as
much as possible to avoid dimensional variations that might
affect the results.
The lateral condensation technique was used in the
current study. It is the most commonly used technique in
the studies evaluating the fracture resistance of post-
restored teeth [29,30]. Therefore, its use facilitates com-
parison with other studies.
Deterioration of the marginal adaptation of a restored
tooth has been reported after thermocycling [31]. There-
fore, thermocycling was used in this study to simulate
the conditions in the oral cavity. Thermocycling proce-
dure was carried out according to ISO (ISO/TS 11405/
2003).
In this in vitro study, attempts were made to simulate
the periodontal ligament of natural teeth. Therefore, roots
were not embedded directly into the acrylic resin blocks.
The roots were painted with a thin layer of polyvinyl
siloxane material (Exaflex, GC America Inc., USA). The
elastic property of the material provides a non-concen-
trated stress area in the cervical region of the teeth and
allows better distribution of stress from crown to root
[30,32].
There are a few factors which can influence the results
of the fracture resistance studies. These include the tooth

B. M. A. Al-Makramani et al. / Open Journal of Stomatology 3 (2013) 379-385 383
Table 2. Mean force of fracture (N) and standard deviation (SD).
95% Confidence Interval
Groups N Mean (N) SD Lower Bound Upper Bound
1 (ST) 10 860.11 309.87 686.49 1033.73
2 (MOD-C) 10 801.79 393.52 628.17 975.41
3 (MOD-P-C) 10 761.39 153.37 587.77 935.01
4 (MOD-A) 10 737.14 230.69 563.53 910.76
5 (MOD-P-A) 10 707.85 209.56 534.24 881.47
mounting method, type of load application device, and
crosshead speed [33]. During fracture strength testing,
the point of contact between the loading bar and the oc-
clusal surface of the teeth may differ from sample to
other. This might then be the cause of a large standard
deviation of the results of fracture strength testing studies.
It was concluded that the best method to measure the
fracture resistance of premolars was to use a cylinder of
a defined diameter [34]. Therefore, a cylindrical bar of 2
mm diameter was used in this study to load the samples
and was quite suitable to achieve a contact with the res-
toration and cusps inclines [31].
In view of the result reported in this study, sound teeth
group (ST) showed the highest fracture resistance. This
was followed by nanocomposite restored group (MOD-
C). It has been shown that the restorative as well as en-
dodontic procedures reduce the stiffness of teeth [35]. It
is also reported that the restorative procedures were the
greatest contributors to the loss of tooth stiffness. Sur-
prisingly, endodontic procedures reduced tooth stiffness
by only 5% through the access opening, while MOD
cavity preparation reduced tooth stiffness by more than
60% [35].
According to the two-way ANOVA test, there was no
statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) between the
group restored with nanocomposite (MOD-C) and the
group restored with amalgam (MOD-A), although de-
scriptively, there was a difference in the values of the
fracture load between each group. On the other hand, the
two groups with glass fiber posts (MOD-P-C and
MOD-P-A) did not show any statistically significant dif-
ference (P > 0.05) with the two groups without glass
fiber posts (MOD-C and MOD-A). Therefore, the hy-
pothesis that there would be no difference in fracture
strength between endo-treated teeth restored with amal-
gam core and composite core restorations was supported
by the results of this study. The second hypothesis that
the use of glass fiber post in endo-treated teeth would not
influence the fracture strength was also found to be ac-
cepted.
There are a few reasons which may have accounted for
the difference in the result of our study from other stud-
ies. This may include the small sample size, the type of
teeth used, the direction and speed of loading force,
measurement and extent of MOD cavity, different etch-
ing and bonding systems used in different studies, type
of amalgam and composite resins used, and finally the
type of glass fiber post (brand, size, length as well as
diameter) used. The primary cause for this difference is
the small sample size, whereby only 10 samples were
used in each group. However, other studies have used the
same sample size of 10 in each group [36,37].
It has been reported that the loss of dental structure
and the presence of fiber post restoration reduced the
fracture resistance and tend to create a higher stress con-
centrations in the tooth-restoration complex [38]. How-
ever, another study has reported that the fracture resis-
tance of endo-treated mandibular molars restored using
resin composite was not affected by the presence or ab-
sence of glass fiber post [5].
An in vitro study has found that prior to the restoration
with a composite resin, acid-etching procedure done on
MOD cavity significantly increase fracture resistance
[39]. It has been shown that amalgam-restored teeth were
less resistant to fracture compared to packable composite
and ormocer-restored teeth [36]. Amalgam restoration
actually does not strengthen the teeth and behaves as a
bulk replacement of lost tooth structure. Similarly, the
teeth restored with conventional amalgam were signifi-
cantly weaker than those teeth restored with bonded
amalgam and composite resin [9]. The use of direct com-
posite resin restorations provided significantly greater
fracture resistance compared to teeth restored with
amalgam [40]. This is because of the bonding behavior
of composite resin restoration and tooth structure to form
a single body.
From the results of our study, glass fiber post with
nanocomposite restoration showed higher fracture loads
than glass fiber post with amalgam restoration, although
both group had descriptively lower fracture loads than
restoration without fiber posts. It has been reported that
tooth bonded posts can significantly increase the tooth
strength [41]. Nano-type resin composite can bond to the
glass fiber post and remaining tooth structure which in-
crease retention. The stress can be distributed equally in
the tooth and resin composite because of the intimate

B. M. A. Al-Makramani et al. / Open Journal of Stomatology 3 (2013) 379-385 384
mechano-chemical bonding with the adhesive [3]. On the
other hand, amalgam has no adhesive properties to the
post and tooth structure. Upon the exertion of the in-
tra-oral forces, the wedging effect between the buccal
and lingual cusp tend to force the cusp apart [42].
As a limitation in this study, a control group consisting
only of intact teeth was used, however, there was no
negative control group which should be consisted of
prepared teeth but without filling. Therefore, this issue
should be considered in future studies. The conditions of
the this study is not completely similar to the real in-
tra-oral conditions, although an attempt was made to
simulate the oral environment, thus, the results are diffi-
cult to apply directly as that in the clinical practice. The
applied load was only in one direction and one point,
which did not simulate many ways of masticatory force
exertion, as well as parafunctional forces. Therefore, fur-
ther studies on the longevity of the restorative techni-
ques simulating the clinical conditions and the possible
influence of parafunctional forces must be conducted.
5. CONCLUSION
Within the limitations of this study, it was observed that
the type of restorative material and the usage of glass
fiber post did not have any visible influence on the frac-
ture resistance of the endo-treated mandibular premolars.
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