The pattern of usage of dentine pins

A survey of 1394 dentine pin placements, completed by 37 selected practitioners over a period of three months provides information relevant to the teaching of pin techniques and to future research on alternatives to the use of dentine pins in the restoration of severely compromised teeth. In this survey, most direct pin-retained restorations were found to be placed in the mandibular permanent molar teeth of patients 20-39 years of age. Such restorations were frequently found to include only one pin, which in about 50% of cases was bent or shortened. Overall, difficulties with pins occurred during one in twenty pin placements. The long-term consequences of the use of pins remains to be investigated.