Bilayered composite restoration: the effect of layer thickness on fracture behavior

Abstract Purpose: By combining the increased toughness of a resin composite reinforced with discontinuous fibers and the surface wear resistance of a particulate filler composite (PFC), a bilayered composite technique was recently introduced. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the thickness of the overlaying PFC placed over a fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) core, on the fracture-behavior of direct crown restorations. Methods: Six groups of posterior crown restorations (n？=？8/group) were fabricated having a discontinuous FRC-core (everX Flow) and a layer of surface PFC (Essentia U) with various thicknesses (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0？mm), with the remaining thickness of the bilayered being 6？mm. Control groups were only made of PFC or FRC materials. Restorations were statically loaded until fracture. Failure-modes were visually examined. Data were analyzed using ANOVA (p？=？.05) and regression analysis. Results: The regression analysis showed that by decreasing the thickness of PFC layer, the load bearing capacity of restorations increased linearly (R2=0.7909). ANOVA revealed that crown restorations made only from everX Flow composite had significantly higher load-bearing capacities (3990？±？331？N) (p？<？.05) among all the groups tested. With regard to the failure-mode analysis, crowns that had a FRC core material of everX Flow revealed delamination of the PFC surface composite from the core. Crowns which were made only of PFC i.e. with no fiber reinforcement, showed a crushing-like fracture pattern. Conclusions: Restorations combining a thick FRC-core and a thin surface layer of PFC (0.5–1？mm), displayed promising performance related to fracture-behavior and load-bearing capacity