TRIBOLOGICAL TESTS OF ACRYLIC TEETH FOR REMOVABLE DENTURES

Abstract

The functionality of removable dentures is ensured by proper diagnostics and clinical modeling. Noless important are the structural conditions and the biotribological and biomechanical context, whichdetermine the wear resistance in the contact of opposing teeth and the contact of the denture plate with thestomatognathic system. The aim of the study is to evaluate acrylic teeth used in prosthetic reconstructionsbased on microstructural, micromechanical and tribological tests. Samples for testing were taken from teethfor removable dentures made by various manufacturers. Microstructural analyses were performed using anoptical microscope and a scanning microscope. Microhardness and elasticity coefficient measurements wereperformed on the NHT device. Tribological tests were performed on a Roxana Machine Works tester using afriction node: ball – 3 discs made of the tested material. The conducted research allowed for the evaluation ofthe structural quality of acrylic teeth and the determination of the tribological interaction resulting from thecontact of synthetic and natural teeth in the presence of artificial saliva.