Wear can be divided into different types. These types include:
The most common one in dentistry is abrasive wear. Two-body wear occurs when two body slide over each other and cause wear. In dentistry we call this type of wear for attrition when cusps slide over each other. Another type of two-body wear is when a cutting instrument such as a bur slides over the enamel surface.
Three-body wear occurs when an abrasive agent is between the two sliding cusps. In dentistry we call this type of wear for abrasion. An example here is a toothpaste or a polishing paste.