Fracture resistance of teeth treated end odontically and restored with light-cured composite with and without cusp coverage

Abstract

Introduction: The golden standard in restoring teeth after endodontic treatment is the dental crown. Once in dental practice were introduced adhesive techniques of filling, these are more often used as post - endodontic treatment. Dental fractures are very often found in this particular group of teeth, which is why we decided to analyze if cusp coverage restores strength lost during endodontic treatment.. Material and methods: Using PubMed, Google Scholar and HINARI databases, we selected 42 articles which have as keywords “cusp coverage” and “fracture resistance”. The selected materials were analyzed by the working group, which according to their discussions, knowledge and clinical experience has taken an attitude towards this subject. To demonstrate the technique of making cusp coverage we presented a few clinical cases we still monitor. Results: The endodontic treatment increases the risk of tooth fracture. Factors predisposing to fracture are the endodontic access cavity, presence of marginal ridge, cusps thickness, cusp deflection and lack of pulp chamber roof. Hood explained using a mathematical formula the mechanism of cusp deflection that proves the importance of cusp coverage. This was confirmed by clinical and experimental studies. Conclusion: Endodontically treated teeth and restored with cusp coverage may be more resistant to fractures than those filled whit composites conventionally.