Tooth enamel wear occurs because of daily mastication and occlusion. This study investigated the wear behavior of bovine teeth against aesthetic restorative materials in vitro. Abrader specimens were fabricated using four tooth-colored restorative materials (zirconia, lithium disilicate glass ceramic, dental porcelain, and resin composite), with bovine tooth enamel as a control. Flattened bovine tooth enamel was used as the substrate specimen. These materials were characterized by Vickers hardness tests and surface roughness measurements. Two-body wear tests between the abrader and substrate specimens were performed, and the worn topographies were evaluated using a contour-measuring instrument and 3D laser microscope. The restorative materials and bovine tooth enamel had similar surface roughness but different hardness and wear behaviors. Bovine teeth showed the largest wear in tooth–tooth contact as the abrader and substrate specimens. Compared to bovine teeth, zirconia, lithium disilicate glass ceramic, and dental porcelain showed greater hardness and less wear on their surfaces, and less substrate wear of the opposite tooth enamel. The lowest hardness resin composite showed intermediate wear on its surface, resulting in the lowest substrate wear. Accordingly, dentists should pay attention to the selection of restorative materials to reconstruct their morphologies owing to different wear behaviors.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of fiber orientation, silane treatment, and thermal cycling on the retention force of fiber-reinforced composite resin (FRC) posts on resin composite. Two types of FRC posts (linear and woven) were prepared with and without silane treatment. Pull-out test specimens were made of FRC posts and resin composite for core buildup. Specimens were either incubated in distilled water for 24 h or subjected to 10,000 thermal cycles. The maximum fracture load obtained by a pull-out test was defined as the retention force. Fracture modes were observed after the test. Fiber orientation and thermal cycling did not affect the retention force on resin composite, and the retention force was improved by silane treatment. Whereas, fiber orientation affected the fracture mode. The result showed woven fiber orientation could contribute to the mechanically interlocking with the resin composite.

The wear of enamel and crown restorative materials often occur by occlusion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the wear volume between glass-ceramics used for CAD/CAM blocks (lithium disilicate: Initial LiSi block (LIS), IPS e.max CAD (IPS), zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate glass-ceramics: Celtra DUO (DUO), VITA Suprinity (VITS) and feldspar-based glass-ceramics: Vitablocs Mark II (MAK)) and bovine tooth enamel using a two-body wear test, the hardness, three-point bending strength, micro-structure and the element components of glass-ceramics. The data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s multiple comparison test (α = 0.05). IPS and DUO with relatively large size crystal gain had significantly larger abrader wear volumes. Zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate glass-ceramics (DUO, VITS) caused significantly greater wear volume in antagonist enamel. MAK with scale-shape crystals grains produced distinct scratches after wear tests, both in the material itself and in the enamel. A strong correlation between the mechanical properties (hardness, three-point bending strength) and wear volume could not be confirmed. The type of glass-ceramic, size, and shape of the crystal grains affected the wear behavior of the glass-ceramics for CAD/CAM blocks. Therefore, dentists should consider that wear behavior varies with crystal structure, size, and shape in glass-ceramics for CAD/CAM blocks.

The hyoid is the only bone in the human body that is completely independent, not forming a joint with any other bone; its position is maintained by the suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles, as well as several ligaments. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effect of the functional pressure arising from these muscles and ligaments on the hyoid body structure from its bone mineral density, bone quality, and histological observations. The area between the mesial-most part of each lesser horn and the center of the hyoid body was divided equally into four measurement regions. We conducted histological investigations at each measurement region and observed the entheses. To analyze bone mass and bone quality, we also measured bone mineral density (BMD) and analyzed biological apatite (BAp) crystallite orientation in the same regions. Histological observations identified periosteal insertions and fibrocartilaginous entheses. There was no significant difference in BMD between any of the measurement regions, but the preferential orientation of BAp crystallites was stronger in the infrahyoid muscles and ligaments, where fibrocartilaginous entheses are found, than in other places. This suggests that the functional pressure at these sites might exert a major effect not only on the morphological characteristics of the entheses but also on bone quality.

This study evaluated the retention force between milled polyetheretherketone (PEEK) posts with different surface treatments and resin composites for core build-up, and the effect of thermal cycling on the retention force. Four groups of PEEK posts were prepared: untreated group (NT), mechanically treated group with sandblasting (SB), chemically treated group with primer application (AD), and a group combining mechanical and chemical treatments (SB+AD). Pull-out tests were conducted on these groups. The specimens were divided into two subgroups: one stored in a humid environment at 37 °C for one week (TC0) and the other subjected to 10,000 cycles of thermal cycling between 5 °C and 55 °C (TC10,000). Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test. Additionally, the effect of thermal cycling on each group was examined using Student’s t-test. Both surface treatment and thermal cycling factors had statistically significant effects on retention force (p < 0.05). The interaction between these factors was also statistically significant (p < 0.05). The results showed that the retention force of the treated groups was significantly improved compared to the untreated group, with the SB+AD group exhibiting the highest retention force, followed by the SB group and then the AD group. Thermal cycling did not affect the retention force in the NT, SB, and SB+AD groups. These findings suggest that the combination of mechanical and chemical surface treatments is the most effective method for improving the retention force between PEEK posts and resin composites for core build-up. Furthermore, appropriate surface treatment of PEEK posts may influence their long-term durability.