Statement of problem: Controversy exists concerning the preferred type of final restoration of endodontically treated molars regarding their resistance to fracture under occlusal load.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the resistance to fracture of endodontically treated molars with various degrees of tooth structure loss restored with amalgam under simulated occlusal load.
Material and methods: . The study teeth consisted of 90 noncarious, nonrestored molars stored in physiological saline solution. The teeth were endodontically treated and randomly divided into 9 experimental groups of 10 specimens each with various degrees of tooth loss, ranging from a conservative endodontic access to removal of all cusps. All teeth were restored with a standardized technique to their original contour with amalgam. Each specimen was mounted onto a specialized jig for loading at the central fossa at a 30-degree angle to the long tooth axis. The resistance to fracture, under continuous compressive force at a cross-head speed of 2 mm/minute, was applied by a universal testing machine and was recorded. One-way analysis of variance with Scheffé contrast was used to statistically compare the differences between the groups at significance level P<.05.
Results: One-way analysis of variance showed that the group with a conservative endodontic access (1137.6 +/- 311.6 N) and the group with removal of all cusps (1261.4 +/- 195.1 N) presented a significantly higher resistance to fracture when compared with the other groups (P<.05). There was no significant difference in resistance to fracture under the simulated load between the other 7 groups, which ranged from 655.8 +/- 229.4 to 906.3 +/- 168.1 N (P>.05).
Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, the endodontically treated molars with a conservative endodontic access or after removal of all cusps that were restored to their original contour with amalgam presented the highest resistance to fracture under a simulated occlusal load.