A 30 year old female patient complains of decayed teeth. Intraoral examination reveals occlusal caries with 46. Dentist decides to restore the tooth with composite restoration. What will be the C factor for this tooth?
High-Yield Explanation
In an occlusal preparation, composite is bonded to five tooth surfaces—mesial, distal, buccal, lingual, and pulpal. The occlusal surface of the composite is the only “free” or unrestrained surface. In such a situation, the ratio between the number of bonded surfaces and the number of unbonded surfaces is 5 : 1, giving the restoration a configuration factor equal to 5.
Reference- Sturdevant Operative Dentistry 7th ed Pg-141