The Influence of Axial Grooves on Dislodgment Resistance of Prosthetic Metal Crowns in Maxillary Fourth Premolar Teeth of Dogs

The reported failure rate for full veneer crowns in dogs is suboptimal, particularly in teeth with naturally poor retentive features such as the maxillary fourth premolar tooth of dogs. Although the data regarding crown retention on the maxillary fourth premolar in dogs are limited, there are data that suggest the crown failure rate could be similar to that of the canine tooth. Thus, methods to improve retentive features of the preparation design should be pursued. The objective of the present study is to quantify the influence of axial grooves on the dislodgment resistance of full veneer metal crowns in dogs. Crown dislodgment testing was performed on cast alloy dies of the maxillary fourth premolar tooth with unfavorable retentive features prepared with and without axial grooves, to quantify the difference in force required to dislodge a cemented full veneer crown. The force required to cause crown dislodgment was recorded for each crown. Statistical analysis revealed a significant increase ( P < .001) in the force required for crown dislodgment in teeth prepared with axial grooves compared to those prepared without axial grooves.