Taper of Full‐Veneer Crown Preparations by Dental Students at the University of the West Indies

Purpose: The ideal taper recommended for a full‐veneer crown is 4° to 14°, but this is very difficult to achieve clinically, and studies on taper achieved by dental students have found mean taper measurements ranging from 11° to 27°. The objective of this study was to examine and compare the taper of teeth prepared for full‐veneer crowns by dental students on typodonts in the laboratory and on patients, and also to compare the results with those of other dental schools. Materials and Methods: Preparations were scanned by specialized metrology equipment that gave the taper of the preparation in a buccolingual (BL) and mesiodistal (MD) plane. Results: No undercut was detected on any of the laboratory specimens; however, 12.5% of clinical specimens were undercut. The mean taper of the laboratory anterior specimens were 26.7° BL and 14.9° MD, and the laboratory posterior specimens were 18.2° BL and 14.2° MD. The mean taper of the clinical anteriors were 31.6° BL and 16.8° MD, and the clinical posteriors were 16.8° BL and 22.4° MD. Conclusions: This study shows that although the taper achieved by dental students in the University of the West Indies when preparing teeth for full‐veneer crowns was outside the ideal range of 4° to 14°, it is comparable to those achieved by dental students in other schools.