Cutting efficiency of Hedstrom, S and U files made of various alloys in filing motion.

The cutting efficiency for sizes 25 and 35 stainless steel Hedstrom S and U files from 10 manufacturers, and titanium-alloy Hedstrom S and U files from five manufacturers, tested for linear (filing) motion under standardized conditions were determined. Special plastic samples having well-defined abrasive properties were used as the substrate and constant pressure was applied until the instruments were blunt. The depth of the groove achieved by filing was used to measure cutting efficiency. For both sizes there were significant differences in the cutting efficiency of files made by the various manufacturers (P < 0.001). Hedstrom files made of stainless steel, made by VDW, gave the best cutting efficiency for sizes 25 and 35. Overall, under the conditions of this study. Hedstrom files had better cutting efficiency than S or U files. Likewise, stainless steel files provided better cutting efficiency than instruments made of titanium alloys.