In vitro two-body wear of three veneering resins

Louisa I. Gallegos, D.D.S., M.S.D.,* and Jack I. Nicholls, Ph.D.*’

University of Washington, School of Dentistry, Seattle, Wash.

W ear of the hard dental tissues is common and

increaseswith increasing age. Excessive tooth wear can
occur on teeth that are in malocclusion, exposed to
abrasive foodstuffs or bruxism, and in associationwith
xerostomia.’ Cleaning of teeth may lead to wear if
improper techniques and excessively abrasive materials
are used.* Wear of the hard dental tissues can be
categorized in the three divisions of physiologic causes,
pathologic causes,and toothbrush and dentifrice abra-
sion causes.
Remedial treatment usually involves restoration or
replacement of the dental tissueswith one of the many
available restorative materials. Missing teeth require
replacement by fixed or removable restorations.
The wear properties of the restorative material
against other restorative materials and tooth structure
must influence selectionof a particular modality. Several
restorative materials may be combined in the restored
dentition.
Uneven wear occurs in function and will precipitate
loss of vertical dimension, loss of centric occlusion,
proximal wear, tilting of teeth, development of interfer-
ences, and periodontal involvement.3 Loss of stability
and retention of removable prostheseswith attendant
pain and involvement of the supporting mucosa and
underlying bone is also common.3
Myerson using sets of opposing denture teeth in a
machine that simulated chewing to measurevolume loss
with time, found that more wear occurred when acrylic
resin opposed acrylic resin than when acrylic resin
opposed porcelain. Cornell et a1.5found that the least
wear occurred when acrylic resin teeth opposedacrylic
resin teeth and that wear of acrylic resin against acrylic
resin was comparable to porcelain against porcelain.
Several different types of apparatus have been devel-
oped to evaluate abrasion and wear of natural teeth and
various restorative materials usedin dentistry.6y” Staffa-
nou et al.‘* studied resistance to toothbrush abrasion
(using Crest [Proctor and Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio]
toothpaste as an abrasive) by Isosit (Aderer-Degussa,
Inc., Long Island City, N.Y.) veneering material, Pyro-
plast (Williams Gold Refining Co., Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.)
veneering material, and porcelain, and found the Isosit
*Private practice, Denver, Colo.
**Professor, Restorative Dentistry.
Table I. Pin and plate combinations tested
Pin specimens
Plate
specimens Isosit-N Dentacolor Visio Gem
Enamel 5’ 5 5
Gold 5 5 5
Porcelain 5 5 5
Isosit-N 5
Dentacolor 5
Visio Gem 5
*Denotes five tests run for each pin/plate combination.
veneering material to be more abrasion-resistant than
Pyroplast veneering material.
The Taber (Taber Instrument Co., North Tonowan-
da, N.Y.) abraser was used by Tillitson et al.” to show
wear characteristicsof commonly useddental materials
and by Lugassy and Greener14to compare wear resis-
tance of filled and unfilled resins. A machine simulating
jaw movementswas usedby Mahalich et a1.3to evaluate
various combinationsof gold, acrylic resin (poly[methyl-
methacrylate]), porcelain, and enamel.
An apparatus to produce wear under sliding condi-
tions was developed by Harrison.” Smalley and Nich-
011s,‘~using similar equipment, evaluated various
materials in combination and against each other.
This investigation compared the relative wear resis-
tance of Visio Gem (ESPE/Premier, Norristown, Pa.),
Dentacolor (Kulzer, Inc., Irvine, Calif.), and Isosit-N
(Ivoclar, Schaan, Leichtenstein) veneering materials
against porcelain (Vita VMK-68, Unitek Corp., Mon-
rovia, Calif.), type III gold (Firmilay, J.F. Jelenko,
Armonk, N.Y.), human enamel, and compositerestor-
ative materials. The number of specimenstestedin each
category along with test combinationsare given in Table
I. The three resin products investigated for abrasion-
resistanceare given in Table II.
All resin specimenswere polymerized according to the
manufacturers’ instructions. Specimensof human tooth
enamel prepared from the facial surfaces of recently
extracted anterior teeth were stored in distilled water
and removed only during preparation.
The wear-testing device described by Smalley and
Nicholls16and usedin this study is capable of producing
measurabletwo-body wear and allowed five pairs of pin

172 AUGUST 1988 VOLUME 60 NUMBER 2

TWO-BODY WEAR OF THREE VENEERING RESINS

Table II. Physical properties of the resins tested

Isosit-N Dentacolor Visio Gem

Filler type Hydrophobic SiO* Pyrogenic SiOz 0.04 Agglomerated SiO,

0.01 to 0.04 pm pm prepolymerized particles less than
prepolymerized 0.01 pm
Percent filler 39% By weight total 72% Total by weight 40% By weight total
inorganic filler 51% Inorganic by inorganic filler
weight
Resin type Urethane Multifunctional Tricyclicodecan
Dimethacrylate methacrylic ester dimethacxyloxy-
methylene
Cure method Heat and pressure Blue light Blue light plus 15
minute blue light
and vacuum
Cure depth Unlimited 3.5 mm 5 to 10 mm
Compressive strength 250 MPa (36,250 psi) 350 MPa (50,800 psi) 450 MPa (63,000 psi)

Table III. Means and standard deviations of wear loss data (in brn)
Plate specimens

Porcelain Enamel Gold Resin

Pin suecimens x SD 57 SD x SD T7 SD

Dentacolor 272.6’ 78.0 43.5 64.6 33.3 22.3 38.7 27.1

Visio Gem 123.2 20.0 3.1 2.5 6.8 6.1 4.2 2.2
Isosit-N 1009.4t 168.1 40.2 23.4 27.1 13.4 54.4 6.8

*Wear loss after 96 hours.

tWear loss after 7 Ihours.

and plate specimens to wear simultaneously. Reciprocal the required static load necessary to produce the desired
sliding contact ‘was continuous, and contact stress (the contact stress could be determined. The second measure-
lower limit of biting stress”) was maintained constant at ments followed the abrasion test. Amount of pin wear
0.30 kg/mm2 while the specimens were continually was represented as the difference between the first and
bathed in 37” C distilled water. second measurements.
Wear was determined by direct measurement of the Pin specimens were made from each of the three
mounted pin specimens using an X-Y table with digital polymeric veneering materials. Initially these specimens
readout micrometers having an accuracy of 0.001 mm. were prepared oversized to provide excess for machining
Measurement of specimens was accomplished in the to final dimensions. Specimens of Isosit-N material were
following manner. A mounted pin specimen, once made in specially designed aluminum forms. Dentacolor
removed from the wear testing device, was placed on the and Visio Gem specimens were prepared from resin that
X-Y table beneath a x40 microscope. The specimens had been placed in glass tubing and light-cured in their
were placed in a jig that ensured accurate and reproduc- individual units. The rough specimens were machined to
ible replacement. This allowed the measuring device to a diameter of 1 f 0.20 mm in an engineering lathe and
be zeroed at a fixed location for each measurement. cut to 6 mm lengths. Water spray was used during
Actual measurement of wear was made by aligning the machining to prevent heat buildup, drying of specimens,
cross hairs of the microscope with the worn end of the and clogging of the rotating diamond disk used for
pin specimen. Wear data were recorded at the two machining.
lateral borders (the worn edge) of the resin pin. All Plate specimens were prepared from human tooth
measurements were read three times. (System measure- enamel, a type III gold casting alloy, the resin materials
ment error was * 0.004 mm.) studied, and a vacuum-fired veneering porcelain fused to
Measurements were recorded twice during each test. a ceramometal alloy. Human enamel specimens were
The first measurements were recorded after a wear-in prepared from the facial surfaces of maxillary central
period to establish baseline data. The diameter of the pin and lateral incisors by using a diamond bur in an
specimen was also measured at this time and used to air-driven, contra-angle handpiece with water spray.
calculate the circular area of its worn face from which Gold specimens were made from wax patterns that were

THE JOURNAL 01: PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY 173

 GALLEGOS AND NICHOLLS

ISOSIT-N DENTACOLOR VISIO GEM

Fig. 1. Wear loss against porcelain.

Enamel

ISOSIT-N DENTACOLOR VISIO GEM

Fig. 2. Wear loss against enamel.

sprued, invested, and cast in a manner similar to that
described by Shillingburg et a1.18Porcelain specimens
were made’8 by applying body porcelain to an opaqued
cast ceramometal alloy and firing in a vacuum furnace
(Ultra-Mat, Unitek).
Contacting surfaces of the pin and plate specimen
were faced and polished by using standard metallo-
graphic methods.19 The specimens were held in specially
made jigs to ensure that the finished surface would be
perpendicular to the applied load. Wet silicon carbide
abrasives of decreasing grit size (Nos. 240,320,400,600
grit) were used, and final polishing was achieved with
alumina polishing powders of decreasing particle size
(15 to 5, 1, and 0.06 pm). Porcelain specimens were
finished to No. 600 grit and glazed. All specimens were
then stored in room temperature distilled water.
In preparation for wear-testing, specimens were pot-
ted into their respective mounting blocks with self-curing
acrylic resin (Duralay, Reliance Dental Mfg. Co.,
Worth, Ill.).
Five specimens of each material combination were
tested (Table I). A standard 96-hour test period was

174 AUGUST 1988 VOLUME 60 NUMBER 2

TWO-BODY WEAR OF THREE VENEERING RESINS

100
Gold

E
x
.-C
3 50 T
3
2
2

ISOSIT- N DENTACOLOR VISIO GEM

Fig. 3. Wear loss against gold.

100
Resin

$
.-C
$50
3
z
2

ISOSIT- N DENTACOLOR VISIO GEM

Fig. 4. Wear loss against like resins.

maintained for a.11combinationsexcept Isosit-N material
against porcelai:n (Table III).
RESULTS
Means and standard deviations for wear loss of the
pin specimensare shown in Table III. The wear loss
data in graphic forms are shown in Figs. 1 through 4.
Each figure indicates the pin wear lossfor a single plate
material.
Table IV showsthe statistical grouping of the wear
loss. A one-way analysis of variance was obtained
separately for each plate material. Four statistical anal-
yses were performed, and the Student-Newman-Keuls
procedure was usedto determine statistical significance.
Resinsin squarebrackets in Table IV belongto the same
statistical subset.
DISCUSSION
When opposedto porcelain, Isosit-N material showed
the most wear of the three materials studied. In a
toothbrush abrasion study, l2 Isosit material demonstrat-
ed half the abrasion lossof Pyroplast material. Another
toothbrush study2’ reported mean volume loss
(ml X lo-‘) of 79 f 25 for Namilon (H. D. Justi Co.,

THE JOURNAL OF PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY 175

 GALLEGOS AND NICHOLLS

Fig. 5. SEM of plate wear for like resins. A, Isosit-N; B, Dentacolor; C, Visio Gem.
(Magnification x200.)

Table IV. Statistical analysis of wear data Isosit-N, Biolon (L.D. Caulk Co., Milford, Del.), and
Visio Gem veneering materials and found the lossof the
Plate Statistical subsets
glaze and Biolon material to be similar. Additionally,
Porcelain [Visio Gem], [Isosit-N], [Dentacolor] Isosit-N lost more material than did Visio Gem. After
Enamel [Visio Gem, Isosit-N, Dentacolor] wear-testing, the filler concentration was estimatedto be
Gold [visio Gem], [Isosit-N, Dentacolor]
Resin [Visio Gem], [Isosit-N], [Dentacolor] 30% for Isosit-N and 40% for Visio Gem materials.
Sandrik et al.*l concluded that dentifrice abrasion may
Square brackets enclose materials with the same wear loss not be a function of filler content but a complex
(p 7 0.05). phenomenon involving monomer-polymer conversion
and easeof filler removal.
Nathanson et al.** found the wear of Isosit material
Buffalo, N.Y.) material, 46 t- 13 for Myerson’s (Aus- after 18 months to be the least of three resins placed in
tenal Dental Products, Chicago, Ill.) special crown and Macaca monkeys. Whitman et al.23studied Isosit, Bio-
fixed partial dentures material, 10 + 3 for Isosit (Ivo- form (Dentsply, New York, N.Y.), and IPN (Dentsply)
clar) inlay and onlay material, 11 f 4 for Dentacolor materials. Wear was generatedby a stainlesssteelpin in
(Kulzer, Inc.) material, and 11 +- 3 for Visio Gem a pin and disk apparatus. The results suggestthat IPN
(ESPE-Premier) material. In a further study, Sandrik et and Isosit denture teeth wore lessthan Bioform denture
al.*l investigated the wear loss of Visio Gem glaze, teeth.

176 AUGUST 1988 VOLUME 60 NUMBER 2

TWO-BODY WEAR OF THREE VENEERING RESINS
The results obxained by Smalley and NichollP using
Isosit powder and liquid did not show the wear loss of
Isosit material against porcelain to be as great as that
found in this study, which used Isosit N (a premixed
material).
The wear-in period of Isosit-N material against
porcelain required only 1 hour in comparison with the
72- to 144-hour time period required for the other pin
samples against porcelain. It became apparent during
this wear period that Isosit-N material was wearing
rapidly, thus the final wear measurements were taken
after only 7 hours of testing (Table III).
Phillips* showed Visio Gem material to be superior to
a microfill, a conventional composite, and a dental
amalgam in a two-body wear test against enamel and
dentin. Sandrick* concluded that Visio Gem material
was comparable to a microfill and a posterior composite
and three times Ibetter than a methylmethyacrylate.
Lambrechts and Vanherle24 postulated that an opti-
mal bond may not exist between the organic filler
(prepolymerized filler) and the resin matrix. Incomplete
bonding can be explained by regarding the heat-cured
organic filler particle as densely cross-linked polymer
particles containing microfine inorganic particles. As a
result of the cross-linked structure and the size of the
monomer molecules, a diffusion of the monomer mole-
cules into the organic filler particles could be slow. Few
monomer molecules will be able to reach and react with
the remaining double bonds in the heat-cured filler. This
could limit the number of bonds formed resulting in a
reduced bond strength. This type of filler exists in
Dentacolor and Isosit-N materials, but not in Visio Gem
material (Table II).
Hard, smooth materials such as enamel tend to polish
the surfaces they abrade. 25When one composite abrades
another composite, the filler wears the matrix preferen-
tially. This results in a “plucking” effect in which the
unworn filler particles can be removed entirely.
SEM photographs of the abraded plate samples of like
resin materials .in contact reveal a difference in groove
depth among three materials (Fig. 5). The grooves
follow the direction of movement of the pins. The groove
depth is the greatest for Isosit-N material, intermediate
for Dentacolor material, and the least for Visio Gem
material.
The coefficient of friction between like materials is
often greater than that between unlike materials, and the
coefficient of friction between soft materials is generally
greater than that between soft and hard materials.4 This
increase in the coefficient of friction can be associated
with an increase in wear.26,27 When Isosit-N material
*The state of research of ESPE Visio-Gem. Philadelphia, Pa: First
International Symposium of Clinical Applications of Laboratory
Light-cured Composites, Dec. 13, 1984.
THE JOURNAL OF PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY
was abraded against Isosit-N material, the grinding
noises during testing were louder than for the other
materials. The pin samples were easily broken during
testing; thus testing had to be repeated until a set was
tested successfully.
Visio Gem material is cured under vacuum, which
prevents oxygen from inhibiting the polymerization
process. Ruyter** found that diffusion of oxygen into the
exposed surface of the resin could inhibit the polymer-
ization to a depth of 5 to 100 pm, dependent on the rate
of initiation and the viscosity of the resin. A study
comparing the use of vacuum curing versus no vacuum
for Visio Gem material found that values of diametral
tensile strength, density, and microhardness were signif-
icantly increased with vacuum curing.29 Visio Gem
material obtained a mirrorlike surface with minute
scratches when abraded against gold, enamel, and Visio
Gem material. This is indicative of its hard surface and
relates to the model of a hard surface abrading another
hard surface.25
It is evident that wear is a complex phenomenon. It is
dependent not only on filler type and filler concentration
but also on the resin type, method of cure, polymeriza-
tion conversion, filler-matrix bond, physical and
mechanical properties, and reactivity in the oral environ-
ment.
CONCLUSIONS
Three polymeric veneering materials were wear-
tested under two-body conditions with reciprocal sliding
contact in 37” distilled water. The following conclusions
can be made from this study.
1. A significant difference in wear loss was found for
all three products against porcelain, with Isosit-N mate-
rial showing the greatest wear loss and Visio Gem
material the least.
2. No difference in wear loss was found for the three
resins against enamel.
3. Visio Gem material showed significantly less wear
than Dentacolor or Isosit materials against gold.
4. A significant difference in wear loss was found for
all three products against like resins, with Isosit-N
material showing the greatest wear loss and Visio Gem
material the least.
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The effect of enamel etchant on the solubility of

three calcium hydroxide bases
H. W. Titus, D.D.S., M.A.,* R. N. Draheim, D.D.S.,* and A. J. Murrey, D.D.S., M.S.**
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Dental School, San Antonio, Tex.

C alcium hydroxide bases are often placed under

restorative materials because they are easily manipulated
and thought to have beneficial effects. A more recent use
is as a lining to protect the dentin while acid-etching
enamel before placing composite restorations.‘-4 Acid
etching of enamel improves the retention of resin resto-
rations and reduces marginal leakage.5s6 It is highly
desirable that the calcium hydroxide lining material over
*Assistant Professor, Division of Operative Dentistry.
**Associate Professor, Division of Operative Dentistry.
the dentin does not dissolve in the etching solution,
impairing its function of protecting the cut dentin from
the acid-etch. This study compared the solubility of three
cavity bases in 37% phosphoric acid etchant, simulating
clinical procedures under controlled laboratory tech-
niques.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The bases tested were Life Fast Set (Kerr/Sybron,
Romulus, Mich.), Dycal Advanced Formula II (L.D.
Caulk, Milford, Del.), and NuCap (Coe Laboratories,
Inc., Chicago, Ill.). All of the materials consist of two

178 AUGUST 1988 VOLUME 60 NUMBER 2