Intracoronal reinforcement and coronal coverage: a study of endodontically treated teeth.

T echniques to reinforce endodontically treated teeth have been available for more than 100 years. However, few dentists have questioned the rationale that dictates automatic dowel reinforcement and coronal coverage of pulpless teeth. The difficulties of in vivo studies have motivated investigators to increase the number of in vitro studies of endodontically treated teeth. Although findings from in vitro studies provide guidelines, direct application of tensile, torque, and shear tests on experimental models or extracted teeth are questionable. This is particularly true if the elasticity of tooth structure, alveolar bone, and periodontal ligament is considered. The purpose of this study was to correlate clinical and laboratory studies of 1273 endodontically treated teeth in retrospect and determine the clinical significance of post reinforcement and coronal coverage. The location of the tooth in the arch and how it modifies the restorative requirements of an endodontically treated tooth are evaluated.