Wear can be defined as a complex, multifactorial process characterized by the loss of material from the contact surfaces of the body caused by relative motion on the surface. The amount of wear depends on the muscle force factor, the patient’s eating habits and the type of restorative material. We distinguish different mechanisms of wear related to teeth and in part to restorative materials, these are attrition, abrasion, erosion, and abfraction. Further to this, tribology (i.e. a scientific discipline that studies events on the surfaces of two bodies in contact or relative motion) use the terms in yet another way to describe the underlying mechanisms of wear. In tribology the fundamental material wear processes are defined as abrasive wear, adhesive wear, fatigue wear, erosive wear and corrosive wear. The wear of teeth and dental materials is becoming an increasingly important subject of research in order to achieve optimal harmony within the stomatognathic system. Ideally, the wear of restorative material which replace tooth tissue should be similar to enamel to prolong the durability of the restoration, but when mainly artificial materials are present in the mouth, they should be of similar characteristics.