Cutting effectiveness of diamond points on commercial core composite resins and cements

In dental clinics, composite resin and cement cores are routinely cut and polished during abutment tooth preparation. To identify their characteristics during cutting, weight-load cutting tests were performed on eight commercial core composites and two cements, using diamond points driven by an air-turbine handpiece. It became evident that the cutting effectiveness of the diamond points on nine workpieces exceeded that on natural tooth dentine, while that on one composite containing Si3,N4 filler was analogous to that on dentine. With continued use, the cutting effectiveness of the diamond point on all workpieces gradually declined. SEM observations revealed that diamond particles of the diamond point wore out with repeated use. It is clinically advised to select the core material with material characteristics during cutting and mechanical strength similar to those of dentin.