Title

TRIBOLOGICAL BEHAVIOUR OF DENTAL ENAMEL UNDER RECIPROCATING SLIDING

Authorship

Priscilla Pessin Coppo; Mateus Aguiar Martins; Flavio José da Silva; Cherlio Scandian; Rafael Yagüe Ballester

Priscilla Pessin Coppo

I am this author

Mateus Aguiar Martins

I am this author

Flavio José da Silva

I am this author

Cherlio Scandian

I am this author

Rafael Yagüe Ballester

I am this author

DOI

10.5151/1472-5836-25427

Downloads

Abstract

The prevention of dental enamel wear has particular relevance for preventive and restorative purposes in dentistry. The wear damage can increase due to salivary disorders and/or parafunction (bruxism); antagonists incisal surfaces become flat and coincident. This study aims to investigate the wear behavior and the related mechanisms in sliding pairs of conformal incisal enamel, with similar values of hardness and fracture toughness, with different applied normal loads and lubricated conditions. Bovine incisors, under pin on flat configuration, were tested in two lubrication condition (dry or with natural saliva) and two applied normal loads (8 and 16 N). The worn surfaces were investigated by 3D profilometry and SEM. The analysis of worn surfaces indicated mechanisms of brittle fracture, but with different severities. Under a normal load of 16 N and dry condition, wear is controlled by a brittle process: microcracking with flake-like wear particles, which results in high friction coefficient (> 0.85), wear rate and wear volume. On the other hand, under a normal load of 8 N and natural saliva, wear took place in the interprismatic region, with consequent exposure of prisms and fracture in localized regions. In this case, the friction coefficient was 16% lower and the wear volume was one order of magnitude lower. Under 8 N and natural saliva, the wear was greater than in the dry condition, probably due to tribochemical reactions.

Keywords

Enamel wear; Pin-on-flat configuration; Normal load; Lubrication condition