Survival Rates of Cast Metal and Prefabricated Post and Core

Objectives: Post and core (or dowel core) is custom (casted) or prefabricated dental restoration that is composed of a rod-like structure that passively sits in the root canal of endodontically treated teeth and a core that extends past the root canal orifices to form a foundation for the final separate restorative restoration. The objective of this study is to map clinical patterns, failure and survival rates of post types, and map clinical outcomes for decision-making.
Methods: A total of 45 articles including three clinical studies were obtained, reviewed, and analyzed using EBSCOhost, ResearchGate, Science Direct, Quintessence Publishing, Google, and PubMed. Node termini outcomes and survival rates were graphed using Neo4j database principles. A transversal graph of patterns and outcomes accomplished Subject Matter Expert Knowledge level of node-to-node relationships with edge probabilities. Data points were averaged using Shapiro-Wilks at p=.05 significance level.
Results: The map begins with a patient node and include various transversal subnodes such as Diagnosis, Caries, Restoration, Post and Core. From the Post and Core node, subnodes were mapped to include Custom and Pre-Fabricated Post and Core. Pre-Fabricated had children nodes: Stainless steel; Fiber: Carbon and Quartz; Zirconium; and Chromium cobalt. The outcome nodes consist of success and failure rates of various materials used for fabrication of post and core. The survival rate of cast gold is 93.3%. The survival rate of pre-fabricated zirconium is 81% and titanium 90%. Overall, 35 nodes and sub-nodes were mapped.
Conclusions: Mapping of the clinical patterns and outcomes produced a graph model of post and core of different fabrication and material types.