Effect of Endocrowns on Fracture Strength and Microleakage of Endodontically Treated Primary Molar Teeth

Abstract

Objectives: Optimal restoration of endodontically treated teeth is very important for the durability of the endodontic treatment. The focus of this study was to evaluate the fracture strength and microleakage of composite endocrowns compared with Class II composite restorations in endodontically treated primary molar teeth. Materials and Methods: 48 extracted second primary molars were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 (control): teeth with Class II and endodontic access cavities restored with G-aenial composite; group 2: endocrown restorations with G-aenial composite. After completing restorative procedures, teeth were subjected to thermal cycling (500 cycles). Compressive loading was applied to half of the samples, although the other half were immersed in 0.5% basic fucsin solution for 24 h, sectioned, and examined for dye penetration under stereomicroscope. Data were subjected to statistical analysis by the Mann-Whitney U test (α = 0.05). Results: The fracture strength of endocrowns (1741 ± 379.35 N) was significantly higher than that of the control group (1126.5 ± 405.39 N) ( P < .05). No statistical difference was found in microleakage between the 2 groups ( P > .05). Conclusion: Endocrown preparation increases the fracture strength of the final composite restoration when used in primary molar teeth. Composite endocrown restorations can be a practical and an esthetic option for restoring endodontically treated primary molar teeth.

Lithium Disilicate Ceramic Endocrown Biomechanical Response According to Different Pulp Chamber Extension Angles and Filling Materials

“…With regards to the flattening of the pulp chamber floor, previous studies reported different filling materials, such as: resin cement [ 18 ], flowable composite resin [ 19 ], moldable composite resin [ 20 ], and glass ionomer cement [ 21 ]. However, the reason to choose the filling material used to flatten the pulp chamber restoration has never been justified before.…”

“…When the pulp chamber floor is not completely flattened, the incidence of unfavorable failures can increase [ 17 ], and the preparation impression and the endocrown design can be compromised [ 14 ]. There are reports of different filling materials applied to seal the root canal and to flatten the pulp chamber, such as: resin cement [ 18 ], flowable composite resin [ 18 , 19 ], sculptable composite resin [ 20 ], and glass ionomer cement [ 21 ]. However, there is no study in the literature that has evaluated the effect of different biomaterials to flatten the pulp chamber and to support the endocrown restoration.…”

Fracture Resistance of Primary Molars Restored with Endocrowns Versus Zirconia Crowns (An in Vitro Study)

“…Endocrowns have been widely used in the past few years [14] as they can offer a more conservative alternative restoration with accepted esthetics [1,19]. They consisted of two parts: a core and a crown acting as one piece where the macro retention is obtained from the pulp chamber and the micro retention is obtained from the adhesive resin cement [14,20].…”

“…Resin endocrown restorations provide more advantages being more economic treatment option as well as reduced preparation time, together with esthetic properties comparable to ceramics [21]. performance of endocrown and emphasized in their conclusion its success as restoration for endodontically treated permanent molars [14,22,23]. In the current in-vitro study, natural deciduous molars were utilized to nearly simulate the clinical condition in terms of the pulp chamber size, root canals contouring and the crown root ratio [1].…”

“…The endocrown restorations possess many advantages as they are prepared supra-gingivally so the restoration is far from the periodontal tissues, resulting in healthier periodontium, preserving more enamel at the periphery, and increasing the surface area for bonding [14,15]. At the beginning, the CEREC system was used to fabricate the endocrown restoration from CAD/ CAM porcelain blocks, but later on composite resin materials were utilized due to their highly stress-absorbing properties [14][15][16].…”