Study of Two-Body Wear Performance of Dental Materials.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the two-body wear resistances of natural enamel and four dental materials in vitro.

METHODS: The testing machine was modified to form a type of pin-on-disk wear test apparatus. Four dental material specimens (Au-Pd alloy, Ag-Pd alloy, FiltekTMP60 and FiltekTMZ350 composite resins) and enamel were used as the pins, and a steatite ceramic grinding wheel was used as the abrasive counter face. The wear volume loss and the rigidity value was measured. The worn surface and the element analysis of the debris were analyzed.

RESULT: The wear volume loss of Au-Pd alloy and its steatite antagonists were the nearest to those of the dental enamel. SEM microphotographs showed that, the main wear mechanism of the dental materials was abrasive and adhesive wear.

CONCLUSIONS: Au-Pd alloy had good wear resistance and was more suitable for dental applications than other three dental materials.