The frictional coefficients and associated wear resistance of novel low-shrink resin-based composites

The significant decrease in wear resistance of the oxirane compared with methacrylate RBCs was unexpected since frictional coefficients and/or surface hardness were statistically similar. The decreased wear resistance of EXL596 and H1 compared with Z100 and Filtek™ Z250 was further explained by the increase in K/μ from wear theory and the associated increase in surface fatigue identified from SEM. The simplistic testing procedure combined with SEM utilized in the current investigation provided a greater insight into the wear mechanism by considering the effect of frictional energy at the specimen surface which may benefit the development of improved wear resistance for experimental RBC materials.