Wear properties of Ti and Ti-6Al-7Nb castings for dental prostheses

Titanium has been increasingly applied to dental prostheses because of its biocompatibility. However, application remains limited, due to the low strength and poor wear resistance of unalloyed titanium. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the wear resistance of high-strength Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy castings for dental application. Test specimens were cast from commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti grades 2 and 3) and Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy ingots, and subjected to a wear test simulating the occlusal loading pattern. Wear resistance was evaluated by the weight loss during the test. Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy was found to exhibit lower weight loss than CP-Ti. Moreover, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observation after the test revealed that the worn surface of Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy is much smoother than that of CP-Ti. These results indicate that Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy castings can be used to produce dental prostheses of improved wear resistance and mechanical strength.