Clinical evaluation of fiber-reinforced composite crowns in pulp-treated primary molars: 12-month results

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of tooth-colored fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) crowns in pulp-treated second primary mandibular teeth. Materials and Methods: This split-mouth randomized, clinical trial performed on 67 children between 3 and 6 years with two primary mandibular second molars requiring pulp treatment. After pulp therapy, the teeth were randomly assigned to stainless steel crown (SSC) or FRC crown groups. Modified United States Public Health Service criteria were used to evaluate marginal integrity, marginal discoloration, and secondary caries in FRC crowns at intervals of 3, 6, and 12 months. Retention rate and gingival health were also compared between the two groups. The data were analyzed using Friedman, Cochran, and McNemar's tests at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Intact marginal integrity in FRC crowns at 3, 6, and 12 months were 93.2%, 94.8%, and 94.2%, respectively. Marginal discoloration and secondary caries were not found at any of the FRC crowns. The retention rates of the FRC crowns were 100%, 98.3%, and 89.7% at 3, 6 and 12 months, respectively, whereas all the SSCs were found to be present and intact after 12 months ( P = 0.016). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in gingival health. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it seems that when esthetics is a concern, in cooperative patients with good oral hygiene, FRC crowns can be considered as a valuable procedure.