Use of hard stainless steel “office” pin as improvised post in the management of Ellis class III fracture of anterior teeth in a resource poor and challenging environment: Case reports.

Abstract

Objective: Traumatic dental injury is considered as the
damage to the teeth and/or other hard and soft tissues
within and around the oral cavity caused by the collision of
the individual with a moving or stationary object.
Traumatic dental injury to the anterior teeth can result in
varying degree of injuries ranging from various types of
fracture of teeth to avulsed teeth. Ellis class III fracture of
anterior teeth following trauma, is a common
presentation to the dental clinic and may result in pain and
discomfort, aesthetic challenge and impaired quality of
life. The treatment of Ellis class III fracture of anterior teeth
involves a combination of treatment of the pulp injury and
the un-aesthetic crown fracture, usually by endodontic
treatment and Aesthetic Restorative Materials (ARM).
This article reviewed the use of ARM in the management
of Ellis class III fracture of anterior teeth and reported our
experience in Stella Obasanjo Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria
on Ellis class III fracture of anterior teeth managed with
hard stainless steel “office” pin retained composite
restoration.
Results: Composite restoration retained with hard
stainless steel pin meets the patients’ expectations of
aesthetics; strength and retention of restorative material
after the fractured teeth have been treated with RCT.
Conclusion: Hard stainless steel “office” pin retained
composite restoration facilitates the retention of the
aesthetic material (composite) which results in morale
boost, improved patients’ comfort and improved quality
of life of patients. Authors hereby suggest the use of hard
stainless steel "office" pin as an acceptable improvised
post in a resource poor environment rather than risk
failure of restoration.