In vivo fractures of endodontically treated posterior teeth restored with enamel-bonded resin.

The cumulative survival rate of 190 endodontically treated posterior teeth were assessed in a retrospective study; all teeth had an MO/DO or an MOD cavity restored with a composite resin without cuspal overlays after previous acid-etching of the enamel. In contrast to our previous study on endontically treated posterior teeth restored with amalgam, the survival rate of the MOD resin-restored teeth was equal to that of MO/DO teeth. Teeth restored with a light-activated resin had a much lower survival rate than teeth restored with a chemically-activated material, the cause presumably being that the light-activated resins were insufficiently irradiated. Nearly 25% of the teeth had been restored with a microfilled resin for anterior use and these teeth had a lower survival rate than had teeth restored with a macrofilled or hybrid resin. It was also found that a beveling technique did not decrease the fracture rate while the use of an intermediate layer of low-viscosity resin resulted in a significant improvement.