COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF WEAR RESISTANCE OF CENTION-N AND ZIRCONOMER IN CLASS-I RESTORATION: AN IN-VITRO STUDY

Abstract Background: Direct restorative materials aim to use a strong, biocompatible substance that can adhere to the tooth structure indefinitely and has a respectably high wear resistance that is necessary to tolerate mechanical loads during bruxism and mastication. So, this research aimed to determine the resistance to wear of Cention-N compared to Zirconomer and Amalgam restorations in primary molar class I cavities. Materials and methods: Three restorative materials, Cention – N, Zirconomer, and Amalgam, were utilized to prepare cavities in 90 human deciduous teeth that had been extracted. Using a chewing simulator, the restored teeth were subjected to mechanical and thermal stress, with a maximum of 1,200,000 load cycles. Using 3D scanning techniques, the abrasion area following the chewing simulation's termination was computed in addition to the number of cycles completed. Results: The Zirconomer group noticed a larger area of loss than the Cention-N and the Amalgam groups. The groups' differences were extremely statistically significant (p<0.001) from each other using pairwise analysis using Tukey's Multiple Comparison Test. When the tooth type and loss area were compared, the first primary molars replaced with Zirconomer had the most loss, whereas the second primary molars restored with amalgam had the lowest loss. In the Cention-N and Zirconomer groups, the tooth type and the region of loss differed statistically significantly (p<0.001 and p=0.004, respectively). The Kruskal-Wallis test revealed a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of the area of loss in the first and second primary molars (p<0.001). Conclusion: Cention-N exhibits superior wear resistance and is a promising bioactive bulk fill resin composite restoration in the posterior region compared to Zirconomer. Cention N and amalgam were preferable restorative materials in stress-bearing areas compared to zirconomer, which had the least amount of wear resistance.