Two-body wear simulation influence on some direct and indirect dental resin biocomposites - A qualitative analysis

The aim of this study was to qualitatively assess the outcomes of two in vitro aging methods, thermal-cycling and twobody wear simulation accomplished with a dual-axis chewing device, on the surface characteristics of eight direct and indirect dental resin biocomposites.

Eighty mesial-occlusal-distal dental cavities were restored with four direct nanohybrid composite materials and with four nano- and micro-hybrid lab-fabricated resin composite inlays. After the restored teeth were subjected to thermal-cycling and wear simulation based on mechanical loading, the surface texture features of the restorations were separately analysed for each of the methods, on epoxy resin models using a digital camera, computer-aided-design system, optical stereo-microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

All the dental restorative resin based composites used in this investigation displayed different cyclic wear patterns after undergoing mechanical loading. After thermal-cycling, the group of resin composite inlays showed a better adaptation, a smoother and more polished occlusal surface compared with direct restorative materials. Only two of direct nanohybrid resin composites performed better after two aging methods. One nanohybrid and the other two microhybrid resin inlays did not perform as expected when they were subjected to simulated wear compared to the rest of test materials.

The use of the two-body wear simulation method revealed important information about the behavior of the dental resin-based composites when multiple oral factors are involved in a lab-simulated condition. Furthermore, the macro- and micro-morphological analysis showed different abrasion patterns among the materials being tested according to the filler percentage and distribution of the particles within the resin matrix.