Mechanical and thermal stress evaluation of PEEK prefabricated post with different head design in endodontically treated tooth: 3D-finite element analysis

An endodontic post is required to retain and support the core restoration in case of insufficient remaining coronal dentin after root canal therapy. This study analyzed the biomechanical and thermal behavior of PEEK prefabricated post after choosing the head design that produces the least amount of stress on the core and remaining tooth structure. These results were compared with the most common commercially available prefabricated post, which is titanium and glass fiber post. Thus a CBCT scanning of a maxillary central incisor with its supporting structure was used to construct a 3D solid model of an endodontically treated teeth for finite element analysis (FEA). The restored tooth with the spherical head design of PEEK prefabricated post yielded a more benign stress distribution and repairable failure mode on the crown, luting cement, core, and dentin under both mechanical and thermal loads, followed by glass fiber post and titanium post respectively.