Stress fatigue: basic principles and prosthodontic implications.

Clinical evidence indicates that the majority of fractures that occur in prosthodontic structures do so after a period of many years. Such failures generally are not related to an episode of acute overload but result from fatigue failure. This paper reviews the current knowledge of fatigue failure and test methods. An overview of published studies is given, and the authors suggest guidelines for future prosthodontic studies of this nature.