Oral Wear Simulator
The ideal tool for studying the wear behavior of dental restorative materials is here. Developed with the research team at the Department of Biomaterials and Biomechanics at Oregon Health Sciences University, our goal was a machine that was easy and reliable to use, while producing the same clinically realistic wear patterns that the Proto-tech system is known for. The result is the Oral Wear Simulator, a quantum leap in composite wear testing that is the only wear machine which reproduces the wear of dental restorative materials well enough to be called an "oral wear simulator".
Its simplicity, accuracy, and affordability have enabled it to become the emerging standard by which dental restoratives are judged. The designers of the machine had one clear goal: to accurately reproduce the three major oral wear mechanisms:
• three body abrasion which produces contact-free wear,
• attrition: the fatigue-based wear dominant in occlusal contact wear,
• and wear of opposing enamel dentition.
The Oral Wear Simulator by Proto-tech accomplishes these goals with amazing precision. As reported in Dental Materials , a study of ten commercial composites and an amalgam had a r^ 2 =0.95 correlation to clinical results measuring generalized wear, and a r^ 2 =0.97 correlation in occlusal contact wear. This machine ushered in a new era of clinically relevant wear research at an affordable price.
The key to the machine's success is its similarity to the actual chewing motion. An enamel-tipped stylus applies a small load (roughly 20N) to a flat specimen of restorative material. The stylus is then slid across the surface for 8mm in the presence of a food-like slurry, much like happens during mastication as opposing teeth slide past one other. This action produces three-body abrasion. The stylus is then stopped and the load is heightened to 90N, as occurs during centric occlusion, producing localized attrition wear. The Oral Wear Simulator produces force through roller bearings and precision solenoids, which are consistent and are easily controlled.
The wear simulator is easy to operate and maintain. It is powered by a top quality 1/4 hp electric motor and includes a built-in counter for automatic shutoff after a pre-determined number of cycles. Four chambers are attached to the simulator load frame, so that multiple specimens can be tested in a given run. The wear chambers are quickly assembled and disassembled. All of the control circuitry is solid state, and includes controls with allow the force magnitude to be independently varied from 10 to 90N.
The spherical antagonist moves across the flat specimen producing three-body abrasion. At the end of the path, the load pulses to 90N to produce localized attrition .
Proto-tech is proud to offer the O.H.S.U. Oral Wear Simulator. The package includes the simulator load frame with four complete wear chambers, and a start-up kit containing twenty steatite-tipped styli, fifty specimen rings, and an instructional booklet, all for the price of _______
Please call or write for a current price list of all of our products.
Each unit has a footprint of 30" long by 18" wide by 24" tall and weighs 95lbs. Available in 110v and 220v versions. The hemispherical wear antagonists can be prepared using our cusp shaping fixture . A calibration kit is available to ensure the long-term performance of the system. If you would like more information, please call or write.
The four specimen chambers
Proto-tech Ph: (503) 886-9575
15571 SE Oatfield Rd Fax:(503) 786-0842
Portland, OR 97267 Email: info@oralwear.com
