Effect of Toothbrushing on Acrylic Resin Veneering Material: II Abrasive Effect of Selected Dentifrices and Toothbrushes

Abstract

The abrasiveness of selected dentifrices and toothbrushes was studied with a toothbrushing machine. Test specimens of acrylic resin material were brushed for 60 minutes. The surface irregularities of the specimen were measured in a Talysurf instrument and the microwaves were studied in a scanning electron microscope. The weight reduction of the specimen was recorded and found to be correlated with a quality value of the irregularities in the test surface (CLA). — The abrasiveness of the dentifrices displayed a wide range, the lowest values being recorded for a dentifrice with methylmetacrylate as abrasive agent, the highest with calcium carbonate as abrasive agent. The abrasiveness of the toothbrushes likewise showed a wide range. Significant differences were recorded between «hard« and «soft« brushes with bristles of nylon, while the corresponding difference for natural bristle material was slight. All the toothbrushes and all but one of the dentifrices studied caused undesirable abrasive effects on the acrylic resin material during the brushing procedure.