Comparative investigation of tribological behavior of hybrid dental restorative composite materials

Abstract

Dental restorative composite materials require appropriate tribological characteristics to bear different stresses in the oral environment. This study inspects the tribological aspects of micro-nano parttticulate filled dental restorative composite materials. Nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 wt%), alumina (20 wt%), and titanium oxide (20 wt%) were reinforced in the form of hybrid into the dental resin matrix. The dental resin matrix was fabricated from a base monomer, diluents, initiator, and accelerator. Two body sliding wear tests were conducted by rubbing the prepared nano-composites against a Carbon steel-EN 31 counter plate. ANOVA was used to find significant statistical factors. Besides, the wear mechanisms were clarified via scanning electron microscopy. EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy) analysis was also done to identify the organic and inorganic groups incorporated in the dental composite samples. The results showed that incorporating high amounts of nHA nanoparticles can improve the wear properties of dental composites. The results of specific wear rate were found significant as per literature.