In vitro wear of resin denture teeth

Statement of problem. One of the most important physical properties of artificial teeth used in the restoration of the edentulous patient is wear resistance, and the ability of these teeth to maintain a stable occlusal relationship over time. Purpose. This study compared the in vitro wear of four different resin denture teeth against human enamel. Material and methods. Five denture tooth samples opposing five enamel abraders were positioned in a mechanical wear testing device for two 5,000 cycle wear periods (total of 10,000 cycles) under a 13.4 N load. All tests were conducted in human saliva, and the wear was measured at the end of each test period. Results. The wear of the Classic and Kenson acrylic resin denture teeth was much greater than the DB Plus and MLI composite teeth after 10,000 cycles. The wear of the KENSON denture tooth was also greater than the Classic tooth. No wear differences were found between the two composite teeth. Conclusions. The wear of DB Plus and MLI resin denture teeth was approximately 50% less than the wear of Classic and Kenson teeth when opposed by human enamel. (J Prosthet Dent 1998;79:152-5.) CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS This study revealed that the composite denture teeth demonstrated significantly better wear resistance than the acrylic resin teeth. The magnitude of the wear of the different tooth types would be clinically significant in patients, depending on their dietary habits and parafunctional activities. This fact coupled with other considerations such as the cusp forms selected and the occlusal contact relationships possible with their clinical use may also influence the wear patterns experienced.