Evaluation of Fracture Strength and Total Void Amount in Composite Restorations on Endodontically Treated Teeth

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the fracture strength of different composite resins and the quantity of voids in conventional posterior composite, high-flow flowable composite, bulk-fill flowable composite, and fiber-reinforced composite. Forty-four caries-free, freshly extracted mandibular premolars were used for this study. Teeth were prepared for cavity and root canal treatment. Subsequently, root canal treatment was applied to the teeth and cavities in order to prepare them for restorations. The specimens were then divided into four groups: group-1: Estelite Posterior; group-2: Estelite Flow Quick High Flow; group-3: Estelite Bulk-fill Flow; group-4: everX Posterior. One specimen from each experimental group was examined using micro-CT to perform measurement of voids. The fracture strength values of high-flow flowable, bulk-fill flowable, fiber-reinforced, and conventional micro-hybrid composites were found to be similar (p=0.497). EverX Posterior showed the highest fracture strength values (841.1 +/- 149.4 N), followed by Estelite Bulk-fill Flow (822.8 +/- 170.8 N). Volume of voids (%) obtained from Micro-CT analysis revealed that restorations with high-flow liner or bulk-fill flowable exhibited more voids. The fiber-reinforced composite showed the lowest percentage volume of incorporating voids and the highest fracture strength results.