Background: Ceramic crown that fires the layering porcelain on zirconia corping is starting to be used due to aesthetic requirements. However, many ceramics are used, but wear characteristics are often unknown.
Objective: This study was performed to investigate the wear of human enamel by porcelains, and to determine the influence of porcelain hardness, surface roughness and crystal of porcelain on the enamel wear.
Methods: Enamel specimens were prepared from extracted human molar teeth. Porcelain specimens were prepared from Deguceram Gold, Vita Omega 900, and Cercon Ceram Kiss. Enamel wear volume was calculated and the porcelain wear depth, surface roughness and Vickers hardness was measured. Moreover, the observation of a crystal by scanning electron microscope and the crystal by X-ray diffraction were identified.
Results: Omega 900 showed the smallest enamel wear volume and porcelain wear depth. The Vickers hardnesses of Omega 900 and Cercon Ceram Kiss were almost identical. Leucite was detected from Deguceram Gold and Omega 900, and Silica and Silicon Nitride were detected from Cercon Ceram Kiss.
Conclusions: The enamel wear is influenced not by the hardness of the porcelain but by the surface roughness, the size and shape of the crystal.
Keywords: Vickers hardness; Wear; human enamel; porcelain; surface roughness.