Journal of Oral Rehabilitation 2002 29; 175±183
Fracture characteristics of carbon ®bre, ceramic
and non-palladium endodontic post systems
at monotonously increasing loads
P. OTTL, L. HAHN, H.-CH. LAUER & M. FAY
(Carolinum), Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
SUMMARY A carbon ®bre post system, three non-
palladium and one palladium metal post systems,
two ceramic post systems, and a metal post system
with a ceramic core were studied in vitro. The
control group consisted of root-®lled test teeth
without posts. The test teeth were identical arti®cial
roots of an upper central incisor made from a
posterior composite whose module of elasticity
was similar to that of natural dentine. All posts
were cemented in the roots using PanaviaTM 21 TC.
Subsequently, standardized full crowns were
cemented onto all roots. On a universal testing
machine, the test teeth were loaded palatally at
monotonously increasing loads until root fracture.
The highest mean fracture loads were found for the
Introduction
Patients and dentists have been making increasing
demands on the aesthetics of dental restorations and
the biocompatibility of the materials used in recent
years. Industry has reacted by introducing several
innovative post-and-core systems for restoring non-
vital teeth. The objective of the present in-vitro study
was to compare the fracture characteristics of seven
different endodontic post systems under monoton-
ously increasing loads to those of Perma-dorTM posts,
whose suitability had been demonstrated in an earlier
clinical study (Ottl & Lauer, 1998), and to root-®lled
test teeth.
ã 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd
Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry ZZMK
carbon ®bre post system (312á5 ‹ 58á8 N). The frac-
ture load of non-palladium metal posts (242á3±
300á4 N) did not differ signi®cantly from that of
the Perma-dorTM post (265á9 N), which does contain
palladium. Values of 300á3 ‹ 89á3 N (aluminium
oxide ceramics) and 193á5 ‹ 57á0 N (zirconia ceram-
ics) were found for the ceramic posts. The control
group exhibited a fracture load of 228á8 ‹ 35á7 N.
The mean distance between the vestibular end of
the fracture gap and the point of force application
was between 10á1 ‹ 2á3 and 14á7 ‹ 1á2 mm.
KEYWORDS : in vitro study, materials science, ther-
apy, non-vital tooth, post-and-core system, fracture
load, all-ceramic restoration, carbon ®bre post
Materials and methods
Post-and-core systems
The objects under study were the post-and-core systems
(n ˆ 10 specimens each) listed in Table 1. One of these
posts was made from a palladium alloy (Perma-dorTM
post*) [A]. Three posts were made of a non-palladium
alloy (Perma-dorTM twin* [B]/ER platinum/iridium
post² [C]/Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir system/non-palladium
post³ [D]). The non-metallic post systems examined
included ER CerapostTM (yttrium-stabilized zirconia
ceramics²) [E], an aluminium oxide post-and-core
copy-milled from a pre-fabricated block (Lauer, 1996)
*Degussa, Hanau, Germany.
²
Komet, Lemgo, Germany.
³
Metalor, NeuchaÃtel, Switzerland.
175
176 P . O T T L et al.

Table 1. Post-and-core systems examined

Endodontic post system Manufacturer Core Manufacturer

TM
Metal post with palladium Perma-dor Degussa Phantom alloy Degussa
Metal posts without palladium Perma-dorTM twin Degussa Phantom alloy Degussa
ER platinum/iridium post Komet Phantom alloy Degussa
Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir system/non-palladium Metalor Phantom alloy Degussa
Ceramic posts ER CerapostTM (zirconia ceramics) Komet Clear®lTM Core Kuraray
Alumina blank/CelayTM procedure Vita/Mikrona Alumina blank/ Vita/Mikrona
(aluminium oxide ceramics) CelayTM procedure
Metal post/ceramic core Perma-dorTM Degussa SMH Ducera
Shoulder ceramics
Carbon ®bre post ComposipostTM ( ˆ C-Post) RTD/Hahnenkratt/ Clear®lTM Core Kuraray
Bisco

(Fig. 1) (CelayTM Alumina Blank AB-28§/CelayTM pro-

cess¶) [F] and the carbon ®bre post ComposipostTM
(RTD**) (identical with the C-PostTM²²) [G]. Cores made
from a ®rable alloy, Deva 4TM* were cast to 10 additional
Perma-dorTM posts and then built up in shoulder ceram-
ics (SMH³³) [H] in the area of the post head. The posts
selected were of comparable size, with the Perma-dorTM
post (medium size) serving as reference. Material data
and the dimensions (diameter, length) of the post
systems used are shown in Tables 2a and b.
The cores (Table 1) for post systems A±D (metal alloy)
were pre-formed in wax to identical size using a
template and cast to the posts in a phantom alloy*.
The same template was used to create plastic cores
made of a self-curing composite, Clear®lTM Core§§, for
posts E and G. The core for the Perma-dorTM post
(medium size), made of Celay-TechTM resin¶, was
modelled in the same manner. Finally, the entire
post-and-core setup was copy-milled from an alumin-
ium oxide block using the Celay system (Fig. 1).

Test teeth

The reference was an upper central incisor whose

dimensions corresponded to the average dimensions as
determined by Kraus et al. (1988). Three templates of
this tooth were made from the transparent PalapressTM
resin¶¶ in order to produce precisely identical roots,
Fig. 1. Aluminium oxide ceramics post-and-core during copy
cores and crowns. milling (CelayTM process) from a pre-fabricated ceramic block
§
Vita Zahnfabrik, Bad SaÈckingen, Germany. (CelayTM Alumina Blank AB-28).
¶
Mikrona, Spreitenbach, Switzerland.
**St EgreÁve, France/Hahnenkratt, KoÈnigsbach-Stein, Germany.
²²
The EstiluxTM posterior VS posterior composite¶¶,
Bisco, Schaumburg, IL, USA.
³³
Ducera Dental, Rosbach, Germany
whose module of elasticity (16 400 ‹ 1000 MPa)
§§
Kuraray, Osaka, Japan. (Heraeus Kulzer, 1994) corresponds to that of dentine
¶¶
Heraeus Kulzer, Wehrheim, Germany. (14 000±18 000 MPa) (van Zeghbroeck, 1995), was

ã 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd, Journal of Oral Rehabilitation 29; 175±183

 FRACTURE CHARACTERISTICS OF ENDODONTIC POST SYSTEMS 177

Table 2a. Material data and dimensions for the endodontic post systems examined (manufacturer data)

System Perma-dorTM Perma-dorTM twin ER Pt±Ir Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir

Order no. medium medium 207L12 (ISO 90) A 13á608

Composition Au 60á0 Au 40á0 Pt 80á0 Pt 85á0
(per cent by mass) Pt 24á9 Pt 60á0 Ir 20á0 Ir 15á0
Pd 15á0
Ir 0á1
Module of elasticity (MPa) 118 000 121 000 200 000 150 000

Shape Cylindrical±conical Cylindrical±conical Cylindrical±conical Cylindrical±conical

Total length (mm) 15á0 15á0 15á0 15á0
Coronal diameter (mm) 1á6 1á6 1á8 1á6
Tip diameter (mm) 1á1 1á1 0á9 0á9

ER Pt±Ir ˆ ER platinum/iridium post; Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir ˆ Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir system/non-palladium post.

Table 2b. Material data and dimensions for the endodontic post systems examined (manufacturer data)

System CerapostTM CelayTM Alumina ComposipostTM

Order no. 232L12 (ISO 90) Al2O3 100á0* 70á312

Composition ZrO2 > 94á0 Carbon ®bres 64á0
(per cent by mass) Y2O3 5á2 Epoxy matrix
Module of elasticity (MPa) 200 000 240 000 21 000
Shape Cylindrical±conical Cylindrical±conical Cylindrical±conical (two-level)
Total length (mm) 22á0 9á0² 20á0
Coronal diameter (mm) 1á8 1á6 1á8
Tip diameter (mm) 0á9 1á1 1á2

*Original for copying the root portion corresponds to Perma-dorTM medium.

²
Figures for root portion of the post (measured from the bottom of the access cavity).

used for manufacturing the roots (DentacolorTM XS
polymerization light¶¶). Control radiographs were used
to examine the arti®cial roots for porosities. On account
of the high hardness of the composite, identical and
well-®tting root canals were prepared by inserting the
respective post centrally into the non-polymerized
composite using a positioning stent. After polymeriza-
tion and removal of the isolated post, the ®nal root
canal preparation for all post systems was extended to a
length of 9 mm relative to the bottom of the access
cavity, using the endodontic drill for the respective
system and a parallel milling device (F 1*). The same
instrument was used to prepare a standardized oval
access cavity at the root canal aperture with an
orovestibular length of 3 mm, a mesio-distal width of
2 mm, and a depth of 2 mm.
An additional template was used to shape standard-
ized full crowns for all post systems from wax, which
were subsequently cast in phantom alloy. The crown
margin was not at the same level as the core margin but
ended approximately 1 mm further cervically in a
chamfer (ferrule design).
All posts were conditioned using the RocatecTM
process*** and then cemented in place inside the roots
using a self-curing composite (PanaviaTM 21 TC§§). The
crowns were then cemented on the roots with the
same material. While inserting the posts or crowns, an
axial load of 5 kg was applied for 10 min. Until the
fracture load test, the specimens were stored at 100%
humidity for 24 h.
The control group in this study consisted of root-®lled
tooth specimens (EstiluxTM posterior VS) without end-
odontic posts that also received crowns as described
above. The preparation diameter corresponded to a
medium-size Perma-dorTM post. The ®lling method
***Espe, Seefeld, Germany.

ã 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd, Journal of Oral Rehabilitation 29; 175±183

178 P . O T T L et al.

and dimension. A tin foil 0á9 mm in thickness was

af®xed to the palatal surface of the crowns to
avoid concentrations of tension as the force was
applied. Test teeth were loaded at a crosshead speed
of 0á5 mm min±1 at a monotonously increasing force
until root fracture. The progress of the trial was traced
by a hysteresis. At the end of each test, the fracture
load was determined, and the distance between the
point of force application and the upper end of the
fracture gap on the palatal and vestibular root surfaces
was measured with a calliper.

Fig. 2. Diagram of the experimental design.

Statistical methods

used was lateral condensation with gutta-percha (100 Measured values were tested for normal distribution
Supra²²²/100 DeTrey White³³³) and a sealant (AH 26 using the Kolmgoroff±Smirnoff test (P £ 0á05). Mul-
silverfree³³³). tiple comparisons of means according to Student±
Newman±Keuls (P £ 0á05) were performed for the
parameters fracture load and distance between point
Loading test
of force application and upper end of the fracture gap
Loading tests were performed on a Zwicki 1120 (palatal or vestibular).
universal testing machine§§§. Test teeth were inserted
in a stainless-steel base directing the force to the
Results
palatal surface of the crowns at an angle of 135°
relative to the long axis of the tooth (Fig. 2). This
Fracture load
angle re¯ects the positions, contacts and loading
characteristics of upper anterior teeth in Class I The fracture loads (Table 3, Fig. 3), of posts made from
occlusion (Lauer et al., 1994). metal alloys ranged from 242á3 ‹ 60á9 N [D] to
The absorptive properties of the desmodontal tissue 300á4 ‹ 70á2 N [C]. The Student±Newman±Keuls test
under load were simulated by embedding the speci- showed no signi®cant differences between these four
men roots in the stainless-steel base (internal socket endodontic post systems. The two ceramic posts differed
shape) using an elastomer material (Permadyne signi®cantly at 300á3 ‹ 89á3 N (CelayTM aluminium
GarantTM***). The teeth were thus ®xated in a
rubber-like environment and exhibited Periotest Table 3. Fracture load of the tested post-and-core systems
values (PeriotestTM¶¶¶) of between 0 and +1. The examined and the control group (n ˆ 10 test teeth each)
thickness of the elastomer layer was approximately
0á2 mm, the average thickness of the desmodontium X s.d. Min Max
(Schroeder, 1986). In addition, the design of the base Post system (N) (N) (N) (N)
and the specimen embedding method followed the Metal posts Perma-dorTM 265á9 47á0 180á2 324á4
biologic width (Ingber et al., 1977), creating a distance Perma-dorTM twin 288á7 91á2 167á2 408á3
of about 3 mm between the crown margin and the ER Pt±Ir 300á4 70á2 146á8 383á4
Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir 242á3 60á9 138á3 316á7
edge of the arti®cial socket (Fig. 2).
Ceramic posts CerapostTM 193á5 57á0 103á9 302á6
During the test, the test teeth were loaded palatally
CelayTM Alumina 300á3 89á3 155á9 439á8
at 2 mm from the incisal edge using a chisel-shaped Metal post/ Perma-dorTM/ 208á0 67á8 120á0 307á5
steel pin corresponding to a lower incisor in its shape ceramic core Ceramics
²²²
Carbon ®bre post ComposipostTM 312á5 58á8 229á4 449á4
Rocko, Langenau, Germany.
³³³
Control group Root canal ®lling 228á8 35á7 177á0 279á6
Dentsply DeTrey, Konstanz, Germany.
§§§
Zwick, Ulm, Germany. ER Pt±Ir ˆ ER platinum/iridium post; Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir ˆ Endo-
¶¶¶
Sirona, Bensheim, Germany. CoreTM Pt±Ir system/non-palladium post.

ã 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd, Journal of Oral Rehabilitation 29; 175±183

 FRACTURE CHARACTERISTICS OF ENDODONTIC POST SYSTEMS 179

Fig. 3. Mean fracture load for the

post-and-core systems examined and
the control group (n ˆ 10 test teeth
each; ER Pt±Ir ˆ ER platinum/irid-
ium post; Endo-CoreTM
Pt±Ir ˆ Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir system/
non-palladium post).

oxide post) [F] versus 193á5 ‹ 57á0 N (ER CerapostTM) Table 4. Distance between point of force application and the
[E]. The value for the ceramic-veneered post [H] was upper end of the fracture gap (vestibular) for the post-and-core
systems examined and the control group (n ˆ 10 test teeth each)
208á0 ‹ 67á8 N; for the carbon ®bre ComposipostTM [G]
it was 312á5 ‹ 58á8 N.
X s.d. Min Max
Among the four posts that were identical in dimension
Post system (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm)
(length, diameter) but produced from different materi-
als or combinations of materials (Perma-dorTM [A], Metal posts Perma-dorTM 12á1 1á6 10á2 14á9
Perma-dorTM twin 14á7 2á2 11á1 16á5
Perma-dorTM twin [B], CelayTM aluminium oxide post
ER Pt±Ir 11á7 8á8 10á7 13á5
[F], ceramic-veneered Perma-dorTM post [H]), signi®- Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir 12á9 1á7 10á6 15á0
cant differences existed only between F and H. Ceramic posts CerapostTM 13á2 1á9 10á8 15á9
The Student±Newman±Keuls comparison of the CelayTM Alumina 11á6 2á2 10á1 17á2
means for the ER CerapostTM and the ER platinum/ Metal post/ Perma-dorTM/ 14á0 1á9 11á4 17á3
ceramic core Ceramics
iridium post, both of which also had identical dimen-
Carbon ®bre post ComposipostTM 12á4 2á0 9á3 15á4
sions, yielded a signi®cant advantage for the metal alloy. Control group Root canal ®lling 10á1 2á3 6á1 13á7
The fracture load for the control group [I] was
228á8 ‹ 35á7 N. This group was not signi®cantly differ- ER Pt±Ir ˆ ER platinum/iridium post; Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir ˆ Endo-
CoreTM Pt±Ir system/non-palladium endodontic post.
ent from the eight groups with endodontic posts with
regard to fracture load.

(control group) and 14á7 ‹ 1á2 mm (Perma-dorTM twin)

Distance between point of force application and upper end
of the fracture gap
Qualitatively, the positions of the fracture lines in
the test roots were similar for all eight endodontic
post systems as well as the control group. The
characteristic oblique shear fracture started palatally
between the lower and middle third of the root and
ran in a slightly ascending curve to the opposite root
surface.
At a total tooth length of 23 mm, the distance
between the point of force application and the vestibular
end of the fracture gap was between 10á1 ‹ 2á3 mm
(Table 4, Fig. 4). The distance from the palatal end of
the fracture gap was between 14á0 ‹ 2á7 mm (CelayTM
aluminium oxide post) and 17á7 ‹ 1á8 mm (Perma-
dorTM twin) (Table 5, Fig. 5).
No fracture in the crown area (crown margin, contact
area of the plastic ®lling respective core buildup
material) was seen in any of the 90 test teeth.
Statistical analysis of the data showed signi®cant
differences between the control group (root-®lled test
teeth) and posts B, D, E, H (distance between point of
force application and upper end of the fracture gap,
vestibular) and post B (distance between point of

ã 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd, Journal of Oral Rehabilitation 29; 175±183

180 P . O T T L et al.

Fig. 4. Mean distance between the

point of force application and the
upper end of the fracture gap
(vestibular) for the post-and-core
systems examined and the control
group (n ˆ 10 test teeth each; ER
Pt±Ir ˆ ER platinum/iridium post;
Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir ˆ Endo-CoreTM
Pt±Ir system/non-palladium post).

Table 5. Distance between the point of the force application and why our tests used arti®cial test teeth (Milot & Stein,
the upper end of the fracture gap (palatal) for the post-and-core 1992; Lauer et al., 1994) to reduce the in¯uence of
systems examined and the control group (n ˆ 10 test teeth each)
these interindividual differences on measurements.
With regard to their own and other authors' compar-
X s.d. Min Max
Post system (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm)
able in-vitro studies, Heydecke et al. (1999) arrived at
the conclusion that the use of natural teeth for
Metal posts Perma-dorTM 16á3 1á9 14á2 19á4
determining fracture loads may result in standard
Perma-dorTM twin 17á7 1á8 14á6 19á5
deviations of up to 50%. The present study, by contrast,
ER Pt±Ir 16á0 0á8 14á4 16á8
Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir 14á7 1á2 13á2 17á6 shows standard deviations for fracture loads between
Ceramic posts CerapostTM 15á3 3á3 6á4 17á8 15á6 and 32á6%.
CelayTM Alumina 14á0 2á7 7á8 18á5 Moreover, the root canals were not prepared manu-
Metal posts/ Perma-dorTM/ 16á4 0á9 15á0 17á4 ally but on a parallel milling device using a positioning
ceramic core Ceramics
stent. This ensured a reproducible root canal prepar-
Carbon ®bre post ComposipostTM 17á0 1á4 14á0 18á2
Control group Root canal ®lling 14á6 3á4 9á6 18á2 ation and a good ®t for the various endodontic posts in
all 90 teeth. Moreover, posts of comparable size were
ER Pt±Ir ˆ ER platinum/iridium post; Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir ˆ Endo-
selected for the various systems and inserted to the
CoreTM Pt±Ir system/non-palladium endodontic post.
same depth.
The testing protocol allows relative comparison of the
force application ± upper end of the fracture gap, results obtained for the eight endodontic post systems
palatal). with regard to fracture load and fracture position. It
would not be appropriate, however, to simply transfer
these absolute values to clinical situations, as it is not
Discussion
possible to achieve an exact physical simulation of the
Most studies of mechanical loading of post-and-core material compound created by connecting silanized
systems have used extracted human teeth. These teeth, posts adhesively to natural dentine (Mendoza et al.,
even if stringent selection criteria are applied, vary with 1997; O'Keefe et al., 2000). Nor can the arti®cial roots
regard to tooth length, bucco-lingual and mesio-distal used simulate the microstructure of natural dentine, a
dimensions, size and location of pulp chamber and root structure that is important from a biomechanical point
canal, water content, degree of calci®cation, and pre- of view. With natural test teeth one would regularly
existing cracks in the hard tissues (Kantor & Pines, expect higher fracture loads than with arti®cial roots
1977; Trope et al., 1985; McDonald et al., 1990). This is (Strub et al., 2000). In an in-vitro study with a study

ã 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd, Journal of Oral Rehabilitation 29; 175±183

 FRACTURE CHARACTERISTICS OF ENDODONTIC POST SYSTEMS
Fig. 5. Mean distance between the
point of force application and the
upper end of the fracture gap
(palatal) for the post-and-core
systems examined and the control
group (n ˆ 10 test teeth each; ER
Pt±Ir ˆ ER platinum/iridium post;
Endo-CoreTM Pt±Ir ˆ Endo-CoreTM
Pt±Ir system/non-palladium post).
design similar to ours, Kern et al. (1995) examined
crowned natural teeth on cast-to ER Perma-dorTM posts
that, however, had a larger diameter (ISO 110) than the
posts used in our study. They found an average fracture
load of 552á5 N. For slip-cast InCeramTM post-and-
cores, an average fracture load of 342á0 N was found by
those authors.
In our study, the positions of the fracture lines within
the roots were similar, independent of the endodontic
post system examined. The fracture lines were located
in the central third of the root and sometimes extended
down to where the apical third of the root begins. The
location of the post tip and the palatal start of the
fracture line were related. The therapy of a root fracture
in this area is dif®cult, and the clinical prognosis is
unfavourable.
Quantitative and statistical comparison of the fracture
loads show that the values for the palladium alloy post
and the three non-palladium alloy posts are similar. This
leads to the conclusion that using metal alloys without
palladium has no adverse effects on fracture character-
istics.
Comparison of the two ceramic post systems showed
signi®cantly higher fracture loads for the copy-milled
aluminium oxide posts. This contradicts the ¯exural
strength claims for these materials (yttrium-stabilized
zirconia ceramics: 820 MPa; pre-fabricated aluminium
oxide ceramics after glass in®ltration: approximately
500 MPa). The material characteristics of ceramics
under load are determined by the number, size and
statistical distribution (Weibull) of `faults' at their
ã 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd, Journal of Oral Rehabilitation 29; 175±183
181
surface (from machining with various rotary cutting
instruments or from polishing) and internally, arising
during fabrication. On excessive tension, the ceramic
material fails at fault points where the fracture strength
is locally exceeded. The fracture load differences
already mentioned may therefore have been caused
by production related factors and are therefore probably
not because of aluminium oxide ceramics being basic-
ally superior to zirconia ceramics. Generally, industrial
production of dental ceramics (e.g. CelayTM Alumina
Blanks) should be preferred to manual production (e.g.
InCeramTM slip cast) in order to minimize the incidence
of internal porosities or microcracks.
In Perma-dorTM posts modi®ed by a ceramic buildup,
the multiple heat treatments when casting a ®rable
metal alloy to the post and when adding the ceramic
core may result in embrittlement and consequently to a
reduction in mean fracture loads compared with con-
ventionally processed Perma-dorTM posts. These latter
require only one heat treatment for casting the metal
core, and that only at lower temperatures.
The carbon ®bre reinforced posts showed the highest
fracture loads. Their module of elasticity, which at
21 000 MPa resembles that of natural dentine, seems
to have a positive effect on their biomechanical
characteristics (Isidor et al., 1996). In the present
study, the dentine (module of elasticity: 14 000±
18 000 MPa) was simulated by a suitably chosen
composite resin (module of elasticity: 16 400 MPa)
for the test teeth. When bending stress is applied to
this compound material system consisting of tooth,
182 P . O T T L et al.
endodontic post and luting composite, a very rigid post
(with a high module of elasticity) will no longer follow
the elastic deformation of the tooth beyond a given
force. Leverage tends to convert originally full-area
contacts between the post and the canal walls to point
contacts, creating localized stress peaks inside the root.
Under adverse circumstances, these stress peaks might
eventually lead to system failure, i.e. fracture of the
root. With carbon ®bre reinforced posts, large-area
contacts between the post surface and the wall of the
root canal continue even when the external load
applied is very high. In addition, the carbon ®bres can
actually reduce stress by changing their orientation
inside the post to correspond to that of the applied
force (King & Setchell, 1990).
What fracture loads are required for successful
endodontic post treatment is a question of high clinical
relevance. Clinical follow-ups or studies of occlusal
forces or maximum jaw closing forces can help answer
this question. However, depending on measuring
methods and inter-individual differences, the forces
found can differ greatly (40±412 N) (Burke, 1992).
In our own retrospective study (Ottl & Lauer, 1998)
237 teeth that had been provided with cast-to Perma-
dorTM posts were followed after an average time in situ
of 3á9 ‹ 1á5 years. There was only one case of root
fracture. As it is clinically proven, the Perma-dorTM post
was included in the present in-vitro study as a reference
for comparative quantitative analysis and evaluation of
the results.
For some years now there has been a controversial
discussion as to whether introducing a post into a
root-®lled tooth stabilizes or weakens this tooth. In
our study, the mean fracture load for root-®lled teeth
without posts was 228á8 N, which is lower than the
results for the four metal posts [A±D], the carbon
®bre post and the copy-milled aluminium oxide post,
but higher than the results for the zirconia posts and
the ceramic-veneered post-and-core. However, the
question cannot be conclusively answered in an
in-vitro study of the fracture characteristics under
monotonously increasing loads. Moreover, the present
study design pre-supposes ideal conditions regarding
the crown length/root length ratio and the tooth
mobility and does not take into consideration the
biomechanical characteristics of the dentine of a non-
vital tooth, for which there has been contradictory
evidence in the literature (Helfer et al., 1972; Sedgley
& Messer, 1992).
ã 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd, Journal of Oral Rehabilitation 29; 175±183
The mentioned maximum jaw closing forces consti-
tute extreme loads such as those present in bruxism.
They are considerably higher than the bite forces
present in the oral cavity under physiological condi-
tions that affect incorporated dental materials by
exposing them to permanent bending stress. A second
study to complement the present study is therefore
currently under way to examine the in¯uence of
changing loads on the mechanical characteristics of
endodontic post systems.
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Correspondence: Dr P. Ottl, Department of Prosthodontics, School of
Dentistry ZZMK (Carolinum), Johann Wolfgang Goethe University,
Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60590, Frankfurt, Germany.
E-mail: ottl@em.uni-frankfurt.de