FRICTION AND WEAR BEHAVIOR OF SELECTED DENTAL CERAMICS

The purpose of this study was to determine the friction coefficients and wear rates of six commercially available dental ceramics including IPS Empress 2 (E2), Cergo Pressable Ceramic (CPC), Cercon Ceram (CCS) and Super porcelain EX-3 (SPE). Bovine enamel (BE) was also tested as a reference material for comparison purposes. Samples of the dental ceramics were prepared according to the instructions described by the manufacturers in disk-shape with nominal dimensions of 12 mm x 2 mm. The wear tests were performed by means of a pin-on-disk type tribometer. The friction coefficients and specific wear rates of the materials were determined at a load of 10 N and rotating speed of 0.25 cm/s without lubrication. Surface morphology of the wear tracks was examined using a scanning electron microscope. Statistical analyses were made using one-way ANOVA and Turkey's HSD (P < 0.05).