Background: The reduced fracture resistance in endodontically treated teeth requires the use of radicular posts, with their advantages and disadvantages.
Aim: To evaluate the clinical performance of teeth restored with or without radicular posts at 6 and 12 months.
Materials and methods: The study included 22 patients who received endodontic therapy on premolars with a loss of one or two proximal walls. The premolars were divided into groups according to the restoration method: metal post group (MP), fiber post group (FP), and no post group (NP). For the NP group, a dentinal core of fiber-reinforced composite was used. The McNemar test, marginal homogeneity test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used in the statistical analysis. At the 6 and 12 month recall, both the direct composite restorations and the integrity of the post systems were assessed.
Results: At 6-month recall assessment, there was no statistically significant difference in the categories of 'appropriate colour', 'secondary caries' and 'obturation integrity'. That was not the case with 'marginal discoloration', 'marginal adaptation', 'proximal contact' and 'surface smoothness'. The recall at 12 months showed a continuation of this tendency, with significant decrease in the category of 'adequate colour'. Assessment of post longevity at the two recalls did not show any significant changes. The teeth restored without a post showed survival rates comparable to that of teeth restored with a post for the 12-month period of observation.
Conclusions: There were no failures of the different posts used. The observed changes were attributed to the progressive deterioration of the composite restorations.
Keywords: endodontically treated teeth; fiber posts; fiber-reinforced composite; radicular posts.