RESUMO
AIM: To evaluate the effect of direct and indirect technique, bevel placement, and aging on the fracture resistance of composite restorations bonded to sectioned incisal edges. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Incisal thirds of 80 human maxillary incisors were sectioned. Four treatment groups of 20 teeth each were formed as follows: Direct composite with bevel and without bevel (Adper single bond 2/Filtek Z350); indirect composite with bevel and without bevel (prepolymerized Filtek Z350 cemented with Adper single bond 2/Relay × ARC). Ten teeth from each group were stored in distilled water for 24 h. The remaining ten teeth were stored in distilled water for 180 days with two thermocycling treatments. The specimens were subjected to shear testing using universal testing machine. Fractured specimens were examined with a stereomicroscope at ×10 magnification to evaluate the failure patterns. The obtained data were statistically analyzed by using ANOVA, Bonferroni test, and Student's t-test. RESULTS: Beveled restorations exhibited higher fracture resistance values than nonbeveled restorations. Long-term water storage decreased the fracture resistance. CONCLUSION: The use of bevels resulted in improved fracture resistance of composite restorations and reduced the impact of aging.
