Fissure sealant materials: Wear resistance of flowable composite resins

Background. wear resistance of pit and fissure sealant materials can influence their retention. wear characteristics of sealant materials may determine scheduling of check-up visits. the aim of this study was to compare wear resistance of two flowable composite resins with that of posterior composite resin materials. methods. thirty-five disk-shaped specimens were prepared in 5 groups, including two flowable composite resins (estelite flow quick and estelite flow quick high flow), filtek p90 and filtek p60 and tetric n-ceram. the disk-shaped samples were prepared in 25-mm diameter by packing them into a two-piece aluminum mold and then light-cured. all the specimens were polished for 1minute using 600-grit sand paper. the samples were stored in distilled water at room temperature for 1 week and then worn by two-body abrasion test using pin-on-disk method (with distilled water under a 15-nload at 0.05 m/s, for a distance of 100 meter with steatite ceramic balls antagonists). a profilometer was used for evaluating the surface wear. data were analyzed with the one-way anova. results. estelite flow quick exhibited 2708.9 ± 578.1 μm2 and estelite flow quick high flow exhibited 3206 ± 2445.1 μm2of wear but there were no significant differences between the groups. they demonstrated similar wear properties. conclusion. estelite flowable composite resins have wear resistance similar to nano- and micro-filled and micro-hybrid composite resins. therefore, they can be recommended as pit and fissure sealant materials in the posterior region with appropriate mechanical characteristics.