‘THE MECHANICAL PRINCIPLES OF CAVITY PREPARATION FOR POSTERIOR CAST GOLD RESTORATIONS to be presented as SECTION A - REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE SECTION B - ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION UNIVER HY O® SYD. DENTAL LIcRARY Submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Dental Surgery by P.F. Hyde BDSPREFACE Prefluoridation years have resulted in an extensive bank of heavily restored posterior teeth. The great. majority of these restorations are now presenting as large corroding MOD amalgams retained by relatively sound buccal and lingual tooth structure. The ideal treatment for these teeth should involve support for the weakened cusps without further tooth reduction. In most instances this goal can be achieved by the use of the MOD gold onlay. However, for the cast gold restoration to be of its full merit, it must satisfy the total demands of the presenting condition. This calls for rational design and careful execution of the cavity preparation. For these reasons the factors which influence cavity preparation of extensive posterior gold restorations was chosen for review. Section A (Review of the literature) introduces some presenting problems and requirements of cavity preparation for posterior cast gold restorations. This is followed through chapters 1 to 16, by a review of the mechanical principles affecting the retention and resistance, internal, and external form of the cavity. Section A closes with a general conclusion. Section B (Original contribution) is presented in two chapters. Chapter 17 proposes a new rationalized approach to the cavity preparation of extensive posterior cast gold restorations under the title "Systemized cavity preparation technique for MOD cast gold onlay restorations". Chapter 18 presents a survey of clinical MOD gold onlay cases constructed over a ten year period, and offers some geometric values as representative. An Index of Retention is developed to aid the clinician's evaluation at the time of preparation. Section B is presented for clinical assessment only and does not represent specifications required for MODgold onlay restorations. Section B is also not intended for the undergraduate and relies upon the operator having considerable skill and available laboratory facility. The numbering system used records the chapter number which is further divided into sub-points by a single full stop (for example 1.1,1.4). Both tables and figures are located at the end of each respective chapter and are identified by whole numbers (for example Table 4 or Fig. 14). Tables 9, 10 and 11 are exceptional being part of the text and therefore located within the content of their respective chapters.