On material choice and fracture susceptibility of restored teeth: An asymptotic stress analysis approach

Note: You will need to copy and paste the URL in a browser window to view the abstract online.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VP3-4HVDN7W-6&_user=10&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F2006&_alid=631765091&_rdoc=2&_fmt=summary&_orig=search&_cdi=6195&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=16&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=12468468e50bab4b01a21533eb671517

Dental Materials
Volume 22, Issue 12, December 2006, Pages 1109-1114

On material choice and fracture susceptibility of restored teeth: An asymptotic stress analysis approach

By Bill Kahler a, Andrei Kotousov b, and Noune Melkoumian b
a School of Dentistry, University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
b School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
Received 21 March 2005; revised 1 September 2005; accepted 7 September 2005. Available online 20 December 2005.

mailto:wyattkahler@bigpond.com
mailto:Andrei.Kotousov@adelaide.edu.au

Abstract

Objective
The ultimate success or failure of a restored tooth is largely dependent on clinical management. Clinicians may choose from a number of restorative materials, different clinical techniques and cavity preparation procedures. The purpose of this study was to specifically examine aspects of the material choice holding other factors constant.

Methods
The current paper adopts a fundamental result in the linear theory of elasticity on the singular stress distribution in a bi-materials wedge to analyze the fracture susceptibility of different materials used for the restoration of a tooth.

Results
Comparable results are reported for amalgam, gold alloys and ceramic materials. It is shown that due to a wide variety of mechanical properties the application of resin-based composites could lead to improved or less fracture resistance of the restored tooth.

Significance
This variety in the mechanical properties for resin-based composites could be partially responsible for the contradictory evidences reported by different clinical studies. The present work contributes evidence from an analytical model to assist the restorative dentist in selection of an appropriate restorative material and guide the manufacturing companies on the preferred physical properties of newer designed materials.

Keywords: Dentistry; Biomechanics; Human dentin; Stress singularity; Bi-material wedge; Corner interface; Choice of restorative materials; Resin-based composites and cracked tooth syndrome

Copyright © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ScienceDirect? is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V.