Fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth restored with indirect composite inlay and onlay restorations - An in vitro study

Objective: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the fracture resistance and fracture mode of extensive indirect inlay and onlay composite resin restorations performed for endodontically treated premolars

Materials and Methods: A total of 55 extracted maxillary premolars were randomly divided into four groups. The first group [n = 15] remained untreated to serve as a positive control; the second group [n = 15] was endodontically treated with inlay cavities prepared and restored with indirect composite inlay restorations; the third group [n = 15] was also endodontically treated with onlay cavities prepared and restored with indirect composite onlay restorations; and the fourth group [n = 10] was endodontically treated with mesio-occlusodistal [MOD] cavities prepared and left unrestored to serve as negative controls. Dual cure indirect composite resin was used to fabricate the inlay and onlay restorations performed for the second and third groups, respectively. All teeth were subjected to compressive axial loading test using a metal ball [6 mm in diameter] in a universal testing machine [Instron 1195] with a cross-head speed of 0.5 mm/min until a fracture occurred. Statistical analysis of fracture resistance and fracture mode were performed with analysis of variance [ANOVA] [alpha = 0.05] and Kruskal-Wallis [alpha = 0.05] tests, respectively

Results: For the four treatment groups, the mean fracture resistance values were 1326.9 N, 1500.1 N, 1006.1 N, and 702.7 N, respectively. Statistical analyses showed no significant differences between the mean fracture resistance of the intact tooth group and the inlay restoration group [p > 0.05], while significant differences were observed between the mean fracture resistance of all the other groups [p < 0.05]. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed statistically significant differences between the fracture modes of the four groups

Conclusions:Within the limitations of this study, endodontically treated teeth were successfully restored with indirect composite inlay and onlay restorations. However, the fractures that accompanied the inlay restorations were more severe and were unable to be restored

Communication between dental office and dental laboratory: from paper-based to web-based

Proper communication between dental office and dental laboratory leads to well-designed prosthesis, satisfied clinician, and comfortable professional relationship between clinician and dental technician. The communication occurs usually through a laboratory work authorization Form containing handwritten instructions from the clinician to the dental technician, that specify the materials to be used and the type of the prosthesis. This paper-based recording has several major drawbacks such as mis-communication between the laboratory and the clinic and lack of visual interactivity. This article discusses the current web-based application for dental office-laboratory communication, and explains system design and requirement for Web Content Management System [WCMS] that can be used for communication between dental clinic and dental laboratory. Recent improvement in internet connection, uploading and downloading data facilitates transferring data between dental office and dental laboratory. Market is now crowded with desktop applications that help to manage laboratory cases and improve online communication between dental clinic and dental laboratory. Dental office-laboratory management systems are available as a commercial WCMS and open-source WCMS. Commercial system is commonly used because it is designed and modified according to user's requirements. In addition, it is a user-friendly interface and more secure when handling payments