Tribology of Dental Enamel: Effect of Acid Etching
Publication Number: 5991-3388EN
Publication Date: 2015.05.04
Language: English
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Tribology of Dental Enamel: Effect of Acid Etching

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Acid etching of dental enamel is a standard practice to ensure good bonding between resins and dental enamel during many clinical procedures on tooth. This acid etching process creates a rough surface (an increase in the surface area) to enhance mechanical bonding and wettability of the resin. However, the enamel surface becomes weaker after etching, and care needs to be taken to minimize any mechanical damage during the clinical procedure. In this study, we characterize the nano/micro-scale friction and wear behavior of the dental enamel – pre- and post-etching – using the Keysight Technologies, Inc. G200 nanoindenter. A nanoindenter is suitable in this context to realistically simulate the forces that these enamel surfaces experience during the clinical procedures.