Biomechanical performance of furcal perforation repair protocols in molars: An ex vivo fracture resistance study
Ridhiman Raman, Vineeta Nikhil, Preeti MishraAbstract
Aim:
To evaluate and compare the fracture resistance of molars with furcal perforations restored with various restorative protocols.
Materials and Methods:
Fifty-five extracted human permanent molars were included. Five intact teeth (Group 1a) were used as the positive control group. Fifty teeth with 4 mm furcal perforations were randomly assigned to one control (n = 5) and three experimental groups (n = 15). Group 1b (negative control) included unrestored perforated teeth. Experimental groups were restored as follows: Group 2 (mineral trioxide aggregate [MTA] + RMGIC + composite), Group 3 (MTA + Ribbond-reinforced RMGIC + composite), and Group 4 (MTA + Ribbond-reinforced flowable composite + composite). Fracture resistance was evaluated using a UTM and analyzed with one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test.
Results:
Intact teeth (2428.20 N) had the highest mean fracture resistance, while unrestored perforated teeth had the lowest values (528.00 N). In experimental groups, Group 4 showed significantly higher fracture resistance (1588.93 N) compared to Group 3 (1299.60 N) and Group 2 (1004.27 N).
Conclusion:
While nonreinforced restorations provided a baseline level of strength, the addition of Ribbond markedly increased fracture resistance. The combination of MTA, flowable composite impregnated with Ribbond, and composite showed the best biomechanical performance among the tested restorative protocols.