COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS STORAGE MEDIA ON THE FRACTURE RESISTANCE OF RE ATTACHED TOOTH FRAGMENTS WITH FLOWABLE COMPOSITE -AN IN VITRO STUDY

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Fracture of an anterior tooth due to trauma is a common occurrence, with an incidence of 18-22% of all injuries to the dental hard tissues. About 28-44% of these cases are uncomplicated fractures, i.e. they do not involve the dental pulp. Fragment reattachment can be considered as a valid treatment option in such situations. However, the ideal storage medium for fragments before reattachment needs to be explored.
Aim: - To compare the fracture resistance of Incisor tooth fragments stored in five storage media i.e. Milk, contact lens solution, Hanks Balanced Salt Solution, Control group (Open Air), Coconut Water before reattaching them with flowable composite.
Materials and Methods: - Sixty freshly extracted Maxillary Incisors were divided into five groups. Teeth were mounted in acrylic block till cervical margin ,exposing only the crown portions and were intentionally fractured at incisal third using Universal Testing Machine, fractured fragments were stored in Milk (Group I), Contact lens solution (Group II), and Hanks Balanced Salt solution (Group III), Open air (Group IV), Coconut water (Group V) for 2 hours. The fractured fragments were re-attached using simple reattachment technique with flowable composite and tested on the Universal Testing Machine for fracture resistance,
Statistical analysis: Statistical analysis was performed using one‑way analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey’s test.
Results: There was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in fracture resistance values between the groups. The highest fracture resistance value was demonstrated by Group III (Hanks balanced salt solution), whereas the least fracture resistance values were observed in Group IV (open air).
Conclusion: Along with HBSS, Coconut water can be considered a viable alternative.