In vitro two-body wear of inlay-onlay composite resin restoratives

Inlay-onlay composite resin restorations have been introduced to the profession as alternatives to amalgam and direct composite resins. Two-body wear testing was performed on three inlay-onlay resins and one direct composite resins using a machine designed to produce sliding wear. The composite resins were opposed by human enamel, type III gold alloy, and porcelain. Of the investigated materials, the homogeneously microfilled inlay-onlay material showed significantly less wear. The direct composite resin showed significantly the greatest wear. The hybrid inlay-onlay resins showed intermediate wear. The hybrid inlay-onlay resins and the direct composite (small particle, heavily filled) resin created wear tracks in the opposing surfaces while the homogeneous microfill inlay-onlay resin did not. The depth of the observed wear tracks in the opposing surface was sufficiently substantial to warrant further investigation into the wear of materials that oppose composite resin restorations.