Relative amount of tooth structure removal in different partial- and full-crown preparation designs

To assess the effect of tooth morphology on the amount of tooth structure removal and the effect of different assessment methods on the detected amount of removed tooth structure.

Eight test groups (n = 10) of standardized artificial teeth were prepared for partial and full crowns. All teeth were prepared by the same operator following predefined preparation parameters. Tooth structure removal was measured using three different assessment methods: digital volumetric analysis (DVA), weight analysis (WA), and combined computer-aided manufacture and weight analysis (CAMWA). Nonparametric repeated-measures analysis of variance and post hoc analyses were used to determine the influence of tooth morphology and assessment method on the detected amount of tooth structure removal.

For partial crown preparations, only the tooth morphology had a significant impact on the detected amount of tooth structure removal (P < .0001), not the different assessment methods used (P = .08). Tooth structure removal was not significantly different between the canine and incisor groups, but was for the other groupwise comparisons. For full crown preparations, the tooth morphology (P = .047) and different assessment methods (P = .01) had an impact on the detected tooth structure removal. However, only a few groupwise comparisons reached the significance level.

The amount of tooth structure removal depended on the tooth morphology and the type of assessment method, which should be taken into account when comparing results across studies. The detected amount of tooth structure removal was below the values described in the literature, independent of the assessment method used.