Tribological Behavior of TiO 2 PEEK Composite and Stainless Steel for Pediatric Crowns.

Dental decay still presents a major health problem among children. Its treatment usually requires the use of stainless steel crowns. This study compares the wear behavior of 316 L stainless steel and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composite under identical test conditions. The wear tests were conducted in a reciprocating ball-on-plate tribometer (Plint TE67/R) using alumina balls as a counterface and artificial saliva as a lubricant at 37 °C to faithfully mimic oral conditions. The coefficient of friction (COF) and specific wear rate ( k ) values were determined and SEM/EDS examinations were performed to identify the predominant wear mechanisms. Results showed that PEEK exhibited a significantly lower coefficient of friction (COF = 0.094 ± 0.004) and thus lower wear volume (Δ V = 0.0078 ± 0.0125 mm 3 ) and higher wear resistance, with an average value of specific wear rate of k = 9.07 × 10 -6 mm 3 N -1 m -1 when compared to stainless steel (COF = 0.32 ± 0.03, Δ V = 0.0125 ± 0.0029 mm 3 , k = 1.45 × 10 -5 mm 3 N -1 m -1 ). PEEK was revealed to be a potential material for use in pediatric crowns due to its high wear resistance while overcoming the disadvantages associated with steel at both an aesthetic and biological level.