METHODS: After clinical and radiographic examination, 139 teeth treated for 3 years or more with carbon fiber posts (C-Post ® and UMC-Post ®, Bisco), composite cores and indirect restorations were selected and classified into 3 groups: Control group (CG, n = 13), presenting satisfactory endodontic treatment and absence of periapical lesion; Retreatment Group (RG, n = 90), with unsatisfactory endodontic treatment, requiring re-treatment prior to post space preparation; Treatment Group (TG, n = 36) with indication for endodontic treatment and post preparation. Periapical lesions were observed in 14 teeth in GR and 16 teeth in GT. The 3 groups were divided into 5 subgroups each, depending on the time elapsed between endodontic filling and post cementation (1-7 days). The root canal treatments, including post preparations, and the restorative treatments were performed by the same endodontist and prosthodontist, respectively, according to standardized protocols.
RESULTS: In GR, 13 out of 14 periapical lesions decreased, creating a scarring tissue and 9 of these teeth belonged to GR-5. In the GR-4, one lesion underwent an acute inflamatory process. In GT, all of the periapical lesions decreased, 5 of these from GT-4 and 6 from GT-5. The incidence of new lesions was not observed in any of the 3 groups.
CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that, in a time interval ranging up to 7 days, the procedures for root canal preparation and cementation of fiber posts did not interfere with the behavior of periapical lesions in the studied sample.