Abrasion of restorative materials by toothaste

The procedure developed in this investigation is suitable for determining the abrasion resistance of restorative materials to toothbrush/dentifrice abrasion. Ideally, a restoration should have an abrasion resistance similar to that of enamel. Of the materials tested, gold was the only one that wore slightly less than enamel, whilst amalgam wore almost twice as quickly. The silicate material and composites (excluding TD.71) wear away 2-4 times faster than enamel. TD.71 and especially the unfilled resin exhibited very high rates of abrasion. After prolonged toothbrush/dentifrice abrasion, the surfaces of gold and amalgam were considerably smoother than those of the silicate and composite materials.