Oscillatory wear tests of dental composites

The wear behavior of 12 commercial restorative composites (conventional and microfilled) and an unfilled restorative material was evaluated using an in vitro wear test referred to as an oscillatory wear test. The effect of varying test conditions was evaluated in a series of preliminary experiments in order to define test conditions for material evaluation. The materials were tested after being aged in water at 37 degrees C for periods of from seven days to one year. The results indicated consistently lower wear rates for the microfilled materials as compared with those of the conventional composites. Aging did not result in significant differences in wear rates measured by this method. Scanning electron micrography of worn surfaces suggested a possible effect of filler particle shape and bonding to the matrix to explain this difference. Although the relevance of the results to clinical behavior is not yet known, the study indicated the importance of material variables on wear.