Friction and wear characteristics of ceramic filler containing dental restorative composites in different test media

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the two-and three-body friction and wear characteristics of three different dental composites (flowable bulkfill, single shade, and conventional composites) in artificial saliva and poppy seed slurry. Tribological tests were performed using a reciprocating ball-on-flat-type tribometer according to ASTM-G133. The tested composites exhibited clear differences in terms of their wear and friction behaviors depending on their hardness, microstructure, and test media. The results showed that conventional and single-shade composites may have more positive results in posterior teeth because of their more durable wear characteristics, especially in two-body wear, whereas an additional capping layer using a wear-resistant dental composite with improved tribological behavior is necessary to finish the restorations when using flowable bulkfill composite.