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Radiopacity of fiber-reinforced resin posts
Werner J Finger1, Wisua M Ahlstrand, Ulrike B Fritz
1Department of Preclinical Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany. wjfinger@aol.com
American Journal of Dentistry
|July 3, 2002
Summary
The titanium post and two fiber-reinforced resin posts demonstrated superior radiopacity, meeting clinical acceptability standards. Other fiber posts showed inadequate radiopacity for effective radiographic assessment in dental applications.
Area of Science:
- Dental Materials Science
- Radiology
- Biomaterials Engineering
Background:
- Fiber-reinforced posts are widely used in endodontically treated teeth.
- Assessing the radiopacity of these posts is crucial for post-operative evaluation and diagnosis.
- Variability in radiopacity among different brands can impact clinical decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess the radiopacity of one titanium and seven fiber-reinforced resin posts using densitometric analysis.
- To evaluate the radiographic appearance and clinical acceptability of these posts as ranked by dental practitioners.
- To compare the radiopacity of posts when cemented with a radiopaque luting resin.
Main Methods:
- Densitometric analysis of standardized radiographs of individual posts and posts within extracted human canine teeth.
- Radiographs were taken with and without Plexiglass shielding to simulate clinical conditions.
- Twenty dental practitioners ranked the posts based on radiodensity and clinical acceptability.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in radiodensity were found among all tested posts.
- The titanium post and two fiber posts (Snowlight/Carbotech and Snowpost/Carbotech) exhibited radiopacity scores considered better than acceptable.
- Four fiber posts (AEsthetiPlus/RTD, Light-Post/RTD, LightPost/Dentatus, Mirafit/Hager & Werken) were rated as not acceptable or not radiopaque.
Conclusions:
- The radiopacity of fiber-reinforced posts varies significantly between brands.
- Titanium posts and specific fiber posts demonstrate sufficient radiopacity for clinical use.
- Several commercially available fiber posts lack adequate radiopacity, potentially hindering radiographic assessment.