Patent ID: 8657645

Claim:
A dental materials standard testing method for determination of the polishing characteristics of a solid specimen of a composite dental material comprising the steps of: a) mounting a specimen in a sample containment device with a test surface of said specimen exposed; b) positioning the sample containment device with the specimen on a first stand with a first stand drive mechanism and with said test surface opposed to a rotationally mounted platen abrasive surface rotatable about a first axis, c) actuating the first stand drive mechanism to engage and move the test surface of said specimen in a direction generally parallel to the first axis and against the abrasive surface of the platen and simultaneously and independently rotating the platen about the first axis to remove a material from the test surface and impart a roughness to a portion of the test surface; d) optionally collecting and measuring a quantity of the material removed from the test surface; e) subsequently positioning and clamping the sample containment device at a fixed vertical and rotatable orientation on a first mounting post with the test surface of a said specimen oriented generally horizontally; f) mounting a profilometer with a stylus sensor on a second stand which is independently moveable relative to the first mounting post; g) positioning the stylus sensor on the test surface; h) driving the second stand upon which the profilometer is mounted to move the profilometer stylus sensor in a pattern over the test surface to measure a test surface profile of the test surface; i) subsequently recording and collecting test surface profile data measurements of the test surface; j) positioning and clamping the sample containment device at a fixed orientation on a generally vertical, second mounting post to expose the test surface; k) mounting a dental polishing instrument with a composite material modification element on a third mounting post; l) positioning the dental polishing instrument material modification element on the test surface; m) polishing the test specimen by operating the dental polishing instrument to polish at least said roughness portion of the test surface to provide a test surface polished portion; and n) subsequently securing polished test surface data measurements of a parameter of the test surface polished portion, said parameter selected from the group of parameters consisting of roughness, gloss, or both.