Tribological behaviour of glass-ceramics reinforced by Yttria Stabilized Zirconia

The aim of this study was to evaluate the tribological behaviour of a dental glass-ceramic (GC) reinforced by 20% (vol.) Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia. Two types of particles were tested: zirconia agglomerates (ZA) and pre-sintered zirconia particles (ZP). The wear tests were carried out using a ball-on-plate configuration. The wear mechanisms were characterized by field emission guns scanning electron microscope. Results revealed an improvement of wear behaviour for GC reinforced by ZP. The improvement on wear resistance was attributed to the effect of reinforcement, by the action of the uniformly distributed ZP that allowed the load transfer reinforcing mechanism through the matrix and reinforcement phase. Dental glass-ceramic reinforced by ZP can constitute a promising alternative to conventional glass-ceramics to produce prosthetic restorations.