The Influence of PVD Coatings on the Wear Performance of Steel Dental Curettes

The wear properties of steel dental curettes coated with wear resistant Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) and metal nitride coatings deposited by Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) were studied by using a customized mechanical device simulating motion and load of dental curettes against human teeth. The wear surfaces were studied by optical microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Nanoindentation. Rockwell indentation testing was used to evaluate the coating adhesion. With the optimized combination of substrate steel and wear resistant coating reduction of 80% in the wear of instruments could be achieved.