Evaluation of Three Restorative Techniques for Primary Anterior Teeth with Extensive Carious Lesions: A 1-year Clinical Study

Purpose: This study compared the clinical success rates of a new reversed metal post technique and 2 conventional methods for restoration of maxillary primary incisors with extensive carious lesions. Methods: A total of 161 pulpectomized, severely decayed maxillary primary teeth, in 54 2- to 4-year-old patients presenting with early childhood caries, were randomly treated with 3 different restorative techniques: 53 composite post restorations, 54 fiber post restorations, and 54 reversed post restorations. Single-blind evaluations were made, according to the World Dental Federation criteria, at 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month intervals. Data were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests (alpha=0.05). Results: There were significant differences among the study groups at the 12-month follow-up in relation to material fracture and retention (P=.005). The differences were significant between the fiber post and composite post groups (P=.004) and between the fiber post and reversed post groups (P<.02). There were, however, no significant differences between the composite post and reversed post groups (P>.64). According to the evaluation criteria, 98% of composite post, 84% of fiber post, and 90% reversed post restorations were acceptable, at the 12-month follow-up. Conclusions: The metal post technique is acceptable for the restoration of severely damaged primary anterior teeth.