A method of comparing the wear resistance of various materials used for artificial teeth

OBJECTIVE: Abrasion resistance of three commercial brands of acrylic resin for artificial teeth, available on the domestic market (Biotone(r), Plus(r) and Vipi Dent Artiplus(r)) was evaluated by a new methodology called "Pirassununga Method ". METHODS: The Manufacturers produced the maxillary central incisor-shaped incisal resin specimens (n=27). These were embedded in chemically activated acrylic resin in an insulated metal matrix to fabricate test specimens, which were flattened on a lathe and refined manually with sandpaper. Wear testing was conducted in an experimental machine at the Vipi dental products factory. In the "Pirassununga Method" a polished metal sphere 4.8 mm in diameter, attached to a rotary device passes over the fixed specimens in programmable cycles, under 5N pressure, using distilled water as lubricant. In each sample, the groove caused by abrasion, was analyzed in two ways: Readout under a microscope to determine the breadth and depth of the groove caused by the ball, and by laser roughness meter readout, which obtained a value Rt. RESULTS: The nonparametric Kruskal Wallis test showed no statistically significant difference between the medians of brands evaluated in the cycles performed (p = 0.936). CONCLUSION: Artiplus(r) Brand showed a lower tendency to wear than commercial brands Biotone(r) and Plus(r) Vipi Dent, with the best performance shown for the IPN polymer.