WEAR OF CERAMIC INLAYS, THEIR ENAMEL ANTAGONISTS, AND LUTING CEMENTS

The wear of ceramic inlay materials and antagonist enamel cups was measured in vitro. Per group, six MOD inlays were adhesively cemented in extracted molars. Castable glass ceramic, pressed glass ceramic, and feldspathic porcelain were used as inlay materials. A microfilled and a fine hybrid composite served as luting agents. The restorations were exposed to an in vitro wear test that corresponds to approximately 5 years of clinical service. The wear in the occlusal contact area was quantified during and at the end of the test with a three-dimensional scanner. Final wear measurements on the inlays (mean +/- SD) ranged from 21.8 +/- 8.8 mum for pressed glass ceramic to 59.0 +/- 37.9 mum for castable glass ceramic. The mean wear of the enamel antagonists ranged from 74.6 +/- 32.9 mum for pressed glass ceramic to 153.2 +/- 61.5 mum for feldspathic porcelain. The wear of the luting composites at the end of the test ranged from 4.9 +/- 5.1 mum for microfilled to 12.3 +/- 6.3 mum for fine hybrid.