Aesthetic properties and wear comparisons of commercial and a new experimental composite materials. S.B. MITRA*, B.D. CRAIG, G.A. KOBUSSEN, H.L. LECHUGA, M.R. ATKINSON, 3M ESPE Dental Products and 3M Corporate Analytical Tech Center, 3M Company, St. Paul, MN, USA.
Objectives: To characterize the polish retention, wear resistance, and aesthetic characteristics of commercial and experimental composite materials through toothbrush abrasion and 3-body wear testing.
Methods: Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Optical Scanning (Wyko analysis), and gloss measurement of polished and tooth-brushed surfaces were done. Three-body wear testing (ACTA wear tester) was performed. Materials tested: nanocomposite Filtek Supreme Plus (FS-DEB, FST), an experimental nanocomposite material in the Dentin/Enamel/Body (EXP-DEB) and translucent shades (EXP-T), microhybrids Tetric Evoceram (TEC), Premise (PM), and Esthet-X (EX). Five highly polished tiles of each material were tooth-brushed for 6000 strokes and the resulting gloss retention (GR) at 60º was measured by a micro-tri-gloss instrument. The same samples were then subjected to topographical study using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) operated in tapping mode. Three-body wear properties of the DEB shades and other aesthetic properties of the materials were characterized.
Results:
Table I: GR at 6000 strokes of toothbrushing, measured at 60 º.
Sample | FS DEB | FST | TEC | PM | EX | EXP-DEB | EXP-T |
GR @6000 | 66.415 | 71.038 | 27.850 | 45.488 | 57.368 | 76.440 | 77.954 |
Standard Deviation | 3.526 | 1.635 | 2.500 | 2.388 | 3.947 | 2.861 | 0.483 |
Table 2: Three-body wear in microns through 200,000 cycles of abrasion
Sample | FS DEB | TEC | PM | EX | EXP-DEB |
Micron wear (200,000 cycles) | 2.654 | 7.629 | 7.228 | 7.498 | 2.687 |
Standard deviation | 0.259 | 0.340 | 0.452 | 0.460 | 0.204 |
Conclusion:
ANOVA analysis showed that at p<0.05, both of the experimental nanocomposite materials EXP-DEB and EXP-T had statistically higher gloss retention after toothbrushing than any of the other materials tested. Also, all four of the nanocomposite materials (FST, FS DEB, EXP-DEB and EXP-T) had at p<0.05 higher gloss retention than any of the microhybrid materials tested. Finally, FS DEB and EXP DEB had statistically better (p<0.05) 3-body wear resistance than any of the other materials tested.