Water and abrasive effects on three-body wear of composites.

The degrees of in vitro three-body wear resistance of a hybrid, a small-particle, and a microfilled composite were determined after water storage for up to 24 months. The hybrid composite was the most wear-resistant, while the microfilled composite showed the most wear. The hybrid composite showed no loss of wear resistance as a result of water storage. The small-particle composite showed a decrease in wear resistance after water storage only when tested with silicon carbide abrasive. The wear resistance of the microfilled composite decreased following water storage when tested with either a soft (CaCO3) or a hard (SiC) abrasive. For all composites, the soft abrasive was not capable of causing preferential wear of the polymer matrix, as observed on in vivo specimens. Instead, the filler particles became flattened, with minimal loss of interparticle substance. The hard abrasive did cause preferential wear of the matrix. All composites absorbed water and leached silicon during water storage, indicating that the filler-polymer bond was attacked by hydrolytic degradation. Scanning electron microscopic evaluation of the three-body wear specimens indicated that the in vitro wear method did not duplicate in vivo wear conditions (e.g., the hard abrasive caused excessive wear and chipping of the filler particles in vitro, a pattern that was not usually observed in vivo). Filler-polymer de-bonding was observed on in vivo specimens of all the composites, while it was found only on the in vitro microfilled composite specimens. These findings suggest that filler dislodging is a complex process that cannot be simulated with the in vitro wear method used in this study, not even after prolonged water storage.