To evaluate the clinical success and/ or failure of composite coronal build-up retained by macro-retentive grooves for restoring mutilated primary maxillary incisors after 36 months.
Design: Forty two primary incisors out of 14 children, treated in a private pediatric dental practice under general anesthesia and presented for follow-ups after 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months. The parameters of retention, colour match, recurrent caries, chipping /fracture and loss of restoration (failure) were recorded at the baseline and follow-up intervals.
Methods: Fourteen 2-5 years old subjects, presented with mutilated primary incisors due to caries or trauma were treated comprehensively under general anesthesia from June 2016 to June 2017. Forty two incisors were restored with composite coronal build-up based on micromechanical adhesive concept and macro mechanical retentive grooves created on the lateral walls of cervical third of the roots. Patients were re-examined clinically at the follow-up intervals by using modified United States Public Health Service criteria.
Results: Only 9.52% were rated as having lost some resin material; with overall 3 years follow up retention rate 92.86% of composite strip crowns. After 36 months, 6 restorations (14.29%) were totally lost, eight teeth (19.05%) had secondary caries and 33.33% demonstrated color change because of plaque accumulation. The failure rate was higher in four- surfaces affected incisors than those presenting one or two carious surfaces, (P =0·3).
Conclusion: High success rate of composite strip crowns suggests that such treatment modality can be an aesthetic and satisfactory option for restoring carious primary incisors in young children.