Failures of fiber posts were mainly due to post loss of retention , while metal post failures were mostly related to root fracture , post fracture and crown and /or post loss of retention .
In conclusion , metal and fiber posts present similar clinical behavior at short to medium term follow-up .
Remaining dental structure and ferrule increase the survival of restored pulpless teeth .
The aim of this systematic review was to compare the clinical performance and failure modes of teeth restored with intra-radicular retainers .
Clinical evaluation of root filled teeth restored with or without post-and-core systems in a specialist practice setting.
AIM To assess survival rates and complications of  root-filled teeth restored with or without post- and -core systems  over a mean observation period of > or=4 years . METHODOLOGY A total of 325 single- and multirooted teeth in 183 subjects treated in a private practice were root filled and restored with either a cast post- and -core or with a prefabricated titanium post and composite core . Root-filled teeth without post-retained restorations served as controls . The restored teeth served as abutments for single unit metal-ceramic or composite crowns or fixed bridges . Teeth supporting cantilever bridges , overdentures or telescopic crowns were excluded . RESULTS Seventeen teeth in 17 subjects were lost to follow-up ( 17/325 : 5.2 % ) . The mean observation period was 5.2 + /- 1.8 ( SD ) years for restorations with titanium posts , 6.2 + /- 2.0 ( SD ) years for cast post- and -cores and 4.4 + /- 1.7 ( SD ) years for teeth without posts . Overall , 54 % of build-ups included the incorporation of a titanium post and 26.5 % the cementation of a cast post- and -core . The remaining 19.5 % of the teeth were restored without intraradicular retention . The adjusted 5-year tooth survival rate amounted to 92.5 % for teeth restored with titanium posts , to 97.1 % for teeth restored with cast post- and -cores and to 94.3 % for teeth without post restorations , respectively . The most frequent complications included root fracture ( 6.2 % ) , recurrent caries ( 1.9 % ) , post-treatment periradicular disease ( 1.6 % ) and loss of retention ( 1.3 % ) . CONCLUSION Provided that high- quality root canal treatment and restorative protocol s are implemented , high survival and low complication rates of single- and multirooted root-filled teeth used as abutments for fixed restorations can be expected after a mean observation period of > or=4 years
Failures of fiber posts were mainly due to post loss of retention , while metal post failures were mostly related to root fracture , post fracture and crown and /or post loss of retention .
In conclusion , metal and fiber posts present similar clinical behavior at short to medium term follow-up .
Remaining dental structure and ferrule increase the survival of restored pulpless teeth .
The aim of this systematic review was to compare the clinical performance and failure modes of teeth restored with intra-radicular retainers .