Fractures of posterior teeth in adults.

Examined in this study were 191 patients with 206 complete or incomplete fractures of posterior teeth. The patients ranged in age from 14 to 76 years, with 66.5% younger than 40 years. The number of fractures occurring in each arch was almost equal. The mandibular first molar was the most frequently fractured posterior tooth. The lingual cusps of mandibular molars fractured more often than did the buccal cusps of mandibular molars by a ratio of 2 to 1. In maxillary molars, buccal and lingual cusps fractured with almost equal frequency, but, in maxillary premolars, the lingual cusps fractured slightly more often than buccal cusps. Data gathered on the widths of the isthmuses of restorations in 109 teeth showed that fewer fractures occurred in teeth with more conservative restorations, with widths of isthmuses a quarter of the inter-cusp distance, and intact marginal ridges.