Comparison of fracture resistance values of Class 1 composite restorations made with incremental and snowplow techniques.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of placing short fiber reinforced composites (SFRC) and posterior composites with different techniques on the fracture resistance of teeth: traditional incremental technique (IT), or snowplow (SP).

METHODS

Short fiber reinforced resin composite was applied using the incremental technique in SFRC-IT groups and the snowplow technique in SFRC-SP group. Teeth without any cavity formed the positive control group. The samples were exposed to various temperature changes with the application of thermal cycles and were then prepared for the fracture resistance test. Force values were recorded at the point of fracture. Data were analyzed using ANOVA with Tukey HSD (P =  0.05).

RESULTS

Significant differences in fracture resistance were determined between the groups. The Tukey HSD test showed that the fracture resistance of the SFRC-SP group was statistically significantly lower than that of the SFRC-IT it and positive control groups (P= 0.003).

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Application of short fiber reinforced composite with the snowplow technique resulted in lower mechanical values, whereas application with the incremental technique provided high mechanical characteristics like those of the control group.