Dental tribology at the microscale

► Aim of this study was to analyze friction and wear on human enamel during cleaning. ► The system was successfully reduced to the contact of a toothbrush filament and enamel. ► The setup allows to correlate friction and wear effects with topography changes on enamel. ► The setup is able to provide information on abrasion properties of toothpastes. ► Friction and wear are induced by the trapping of toothpaste particles during sliding.