Clinical Survival of Indirect, Lateral-posterior 3-unit Occlusal-retained Fiber-reinforced Composite Fixed Dental Prosthesis: 15-years Follow-up

As of January 1999, FRC FDPs are offered as alternative to other conventional therapy options at the Department where the study was conducted. Between June-1999 and June-2000, 58 patients aged between 33 and 62 years old (25 females, 33 males, mean age: 47) received 65 indirect posterior FRC FDPs. Before enrolment in the trial, all patients were provided with a written informed consent Information was given to each patient regarding the alternative treatment options. The inclusion criteria were as follows: all subjects were required to be at least 18 years old, able to read and sign the informed consent document, physically and psychologically able to tolerate conventional restorative procedures, having no active periodontal or pulpal diseases, having no primary caries, not allergic to resin-based materials, not pregnant or nursing, having antagonist teeth opposing the FRC FDP to be restored, willing to return for follow-up examinations as outlined by the investigators. The patients who had more absent teeth than the tooth to be replaced in the rest of the dentition or those having diastemas were not excluded.

All the restorations were performed by a single operator, selected considering his clinical experience (>10 years since graduation).

All FDPs replaced one missing tooth and bonded to two adjacent abutment teeth were used for retention. No cantilever FDPs were involved.

Treatment was performed in two sessions: 1) Teeth preparation and Impression taking and model analysis, 2) Try-in, cementation and polishing of the FDP.

In the first session, after an accurate evaluation of spaces and residual dental tissues and the acceptance of this type of treatment by the patient, pillar teeth were prepared using diamond bur on high speed handpiece with mesio-occlusal, disto-occlusal, MOD, onlay or overlay preparations according to each clinical situation. Cavity preparation is required not only to remove all carious tissue, but to create a minimal space necessary to the glass fibers to support occlusal loads. According to "Munack" a cavity with 2x2mm occlusal surface and 2mm depth is able to support a 600N masticatory stress before breaking, and by increasing depth to 4mm we can reach 700N.