Intracanal Retention of Glass Fiber Posts

  Objective: Fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) posts have recently become more popular for restoring endodontically treated teeth because of providing esthetics, better stress distribution and lower risk of root fracture. Resistance against tensile forces dislodging the post from the root canal is a prerequisite for these posts. This study aimed to evaluate the tensile retention (strength) of intracanal glass fiber posts produced by three manufacturers.   Methods: In this interventional study, the crowns of 30 sound human maxillary central incisors were cut at the cementoenamel junction and the roots were endodontically treated. Post space was prepared to a length of 10mm and the specimens were divided into three groups of 10. HtCo, Anthogyr and Svenskposts were used in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The posts were cemented with Panavia F2 resin cement according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Specimens were then immersed in water at 37°C for 30 days and were then subjected to 7500 thermal cycles between 5-55°C. Intracanal tensile retention (strength) was measured at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA at p<0.05 level of significance.   Results: The mean retention was 188.53 (15.43), 183.81 (16.37) and 192.19 (17.50) N in Htco, Anthogyr and Svensk posts, respectively. Statistical analyses showed no significant difference in this regard among groups (p=0.111).   Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, retention of HtCo glass fiber posts in the root canals was similar to that of two other posts.