Purpose: To develop a laboratory model aimed at duplicating the failure process of post and core restorations. The load pattern applied was to be repetitive (fatigue) and multivectorial. To determine and compare the resistance under fatigue loading of seven endodontic post/natural root combinations: stainless steel-, titanium-, ceramic-, composite-fiber/epoxy-, two glass-fiber/epoxy- and glass-fiber/acrylic posts.

Materials and methods: The repetitive, alternating and multivectorial intraoral force pattern was reproduced by subjecting the specimens to the rotating cantilever beam test. To this end, the samples were designed as rotation-symmetric structures comprising a root, a post, periodontal ligament- and bone analogs and a restoration analog. The following posts were tested: Unimetric-Ti, Unimetric-SS, Biopost, Composipost, Easypost, DT Lightpost, Everstickpost. The samples were spun around their long axes while being clamped into a revolving collet on one end and loaded normal to their long axis on the other end. The aim was to determine the load level at which 50% of the specimens survived- and 50% fractured before 10E6 cycles. The 50% means were determined using the staircase procedure.

Results: In increasing order of magnitude, the resistances to fatigue loading were as follows: Biopost, Unimetric-Ti, Unimetric-SS, Composipost, Easypost, Everstickpost, DT Lightpost.

Significance: The fatigue resistance of the two fibrous posts with the highest fatigue resistance was twice that of any of the ceramic or metal posts.