Fibre reinforced composite dental bridge. Part I: Experimental investigation.

This experimental investigation aims at revealing the mechanical behaviour and failure pattern of direct fibre-reinforced resin-bonded dental bridge with various designs. To evaluate the overall effects of some newly developed dental materials, in the experiment, genuine composite dental bridge specimens are prepared and tested. The ultimate load, stiffness and mode at the failure of the bridges are measured and compared with the design variations. A good agreement between test and some clinical observations is demonstrated. It is verified that the weakest region appears across the pontic-abutment interface in the composite bridges. This study suggests that the composite bridges reinforced by fibres and supported by adjacent teeth could be of a higher structural strength and stiffness; therefore would provide better clinical performances.