Resistance to fracture and structural characteristics of different fiber reinforced post systems

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the ultrastructure and resistance to fracture of eight different types of fiber post, and to verify the existence of a correlation between structural characteristics and flexural strength. Methods Eight types of fiber post were selected for this study. Fiber Kor (Jeneric-Pentron), Para Post Fiber White (Colténe), Luscent Anchor (Dentatus), Twin-Luscent Anchor (Dentatus), Style Post (Metalor), DT White-Post (VDW), DT Light-Post (VDW) and ER Dentin Post (Brasseler). Ten posts of each experimental group were selected for a three-point bending test, and one was processed for SEM evaluation. A universal testing machine loading at an angle of 90° was employed for the three-point bending test. The test was carried out until fracturing of the post. After fracture testing, the posts with the highest and the lowest values of flexural strength of each system were additionally processed for SEM analysis. SEM evaluation was performed using a PC-measurement program to assess the fiber/matrix ratio and fiber dimensions. Results The fracture load of the tested systems ranged from 60 to 96 N and the flexural strength from 565 to 898 MPa. DT White-Post and DT Light-Post (898 and 842 MPa, respectively) had significantly higher flexural strengths than the other posts. Style Post (565 MPa) showed a significantly lower flexural strength than all other posts. The differences in fiber diameter ranged from 8.2 to 21 μm and for the fiber/matrix ratio from 41 to 76%. Of the various structural characteristics investigated, only the fiber/matrix ratio showed a significant correlation to the flexural strength (r = 0.922, p = 0.003). Significance The FRC-posts investigated displayed significant differences with regard to fracture load and flexural strength. A strong and significant linear correlation between the fiber/matrix ratio and the flexural strength was found.