Assessment of Wear Resistance in Tooth-Colored Materials for Primary Molar Crown Restoration in Pediatric Dentistry

The objective of this study was to assess the wear resistance of tooth-colored materials used in crown restoration for primary molars with a chewing simulator. In this study, four groups-three experimental groups and one control group-were included. They consisted of three-dimensional (3D) printed resin crowns (NextDent and Graphy), milled nano-hybrid ceramic crowns (MAZIC Duro), and prefabricated zirconia crowns (NuSmile). Twelve mandibular second molar specimens were prepared from each group. In the wear experiment, 6.0 × 105 cycles were conducted with a force of 50 N, and a 6 mm-diameter steatite ball was used as an antagonist. The amount of wear was calculated by comparing the scan files before and after the chewing simulation using 3D metrology software, and the worn cross-section was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The resin and ceramic groups did not exhibit any statistically significant differences. However, compared to other crown groups, the zirconia crown group demonstrated notably reduced levels of wear (p < 0.05). In SEM images, layers and cracks were observed in the 3D-printed resin crown groups, which differed from those in the other groups.