The effect of different cooling procedures on mechanical properties of denture base materials measured by instrumented indentation testing

Impact of Artificial Aging on the Physical and Mechanical Characteristics of Denture Base Materials Fabricated via 3D Printing

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is becoming more prevalent in the dental sector due to its potential to save time for dental practitioners, streamline fabrication processes, enhance precision and consistency in fabricating prosthetic models, and offer cost-effective solutions. However, the effect of aging in artificial saliva of this type of material has not been explored. To assess the physical and mechanical properties of the two types of 3D-printed materials before and after being subjected to artificial saliva, a total of 219 acrylic resin specimens were produced. These specimens were made with two types of 3D-printed materials, namely, NextDent (ND) and Formlabs (FLs), and a Schottlander heat-cured (HC) resin material that was used as a control. Water sorption and solubility specimens (n = 5) were tested after three months of storage in artificial saliva. Moreover, the Vickers hardness, Martens hardness, flexural strength/modulus, and impact strength were evaluated both under dry conditions and after three months of storage in artificial saliva. The degree of conversion (DC), elemental analysis, and filler content were also investigated. The ANOVA showed that 3D-printed resins had significantly greater sorption than the control group (p < 0.05). However, the flexural strength values of the 3D-printed materials were significantly greater (p < 0.05) than those of the heat-cured material. The DC of the 3D-printed resins was lower than that of the control group, but the difference was not significant (p > 0.05). The 3D-printed materials contained significantly more filler than the control (p < 0.05). Moreover, the artificial saliva had a significant effect on the Vickers hardness for all tested groups and on the Martens hardness for the control group only (p < 0.05). Compared with conventional heat-cured materials, 3D-printed denture base materials demonstrated relatively poorer performance in terms of sorption, solubility, and DC but exhibited either comparable or superior mechanical properties. The aging process also influenced the Vickers and Martens' hardness. The strength of the 3D-printed materials was in compliance with ISO recommendations, and the materials could be used alongside conventional heat-cured materials.

Water sorption, water solubility, degree of conversion, elastic indentation modulus, edge chipping resistance and flexural strength of 3D-printed denture base resins

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the water sorption (w_sp), water solubility (w_sl), degree of conversion (DC), elastic indentation modulus (E_IT), edge chipping resistance (ECR) and flexural strength (FS) of 3D-printed, milled and conventionally polymerized denture base resin materials.

METHODS

Specimens (N = 540) were 3D-printed (NextDent Denture 3D+ (DEN), Fotodent Denture (FOT), Freeprint Denture (FRE), V-Print dentbase (VPR)), cut (Ivotion Base (IVO)) and molded (PalaXpress (PAL)) in three geometries. W_sp,w_sl,DC, E_IT, ECR and FS were tested initially (24 h, 37 °C, H20) and after additional aging (5000 thermal cycles, 5/55 °C). Data were analyzed with Kolmogorov-Smirnov, univariate ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's correlation (p < 0.05) RESULTS: Most 3D-printed denture base resins showed higher w_sp (25.31-37.94 μg/mm³) and w_sl (0.08-8.27 μg/mm³), but also higher E_IT (3.11-4.09 GPa) and FS (60.81-99.57N/mm²) values than the control groups. DEN and VPR showed high DC (89.36-93.53%), E_IT (3.77-4.09 GPa) and FS (79.65-99.57N/mm²), while FOT showed low w_sp (25.31-27.35 μg/mm³) and w_sl (1.01-3.87 μg/mm³) values. In all materials, the examined parameters were affected by aging.

SIGNIFICANCE

Although 3D-printed denture base resins showed promising results with regard to the observed DC and FS, only FOT and FRE surpassed the threshold values defined by the ISO norms.

The effect of cooling procedures on monomer elution from heat-cured polymethyl methacrylate denture base materials

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the amount of methyl methacrylate (MMA) released in water from heat-cured polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) denture base materials subjected to different cooling procedures.

METHODOLOGY

Disk-shaped specimens (Ø:17 mm, h:2 mm) were fabricated from Paladon 65 (PA), ProBase Hot (PB), Stellon QC-20 (QC) and Vertex Rapid Simplified (VE) denture materials using five different cooling procedures (n=3/procedure): A) Bench-cooling for 10 min and then under running water for 15 min; B) Cooling in water-bath until room temperature; C) Cooling under running water for 15 min; D) Bench-cooling, and E) Bench-cooling for 30 min and under running water for 15 min. A, B, D, E procedures were proposed by the manufacturers, while the C was selected as the fastest one. Control specimens (n=3/material) were fabricated using a long polymerization cycle and bench-cooling. After deflasking, the specimens were ground, polished and stored in individual containers with 10 ml of distilled water for seven days (37oC). The amount of water-eluted MMA was measured per container using isocratic ultra-fast liquid chromatography (UFLC). Data were analyzed using Student's and Welch's t-test (α=0.05).

RESULTS

MMA values below the lower quantification limit (LoQ=5.9 ppm) were registered in B, C, E (PA); E (PB) and B, D, E (QC) procedures, whereas values below the detection limit (LoD=1.96 ppm) were registered in A, D (PA); A, B, C, D (PB); C, D, E (VE) and in all specimens of the control group. A, B (VE) and A, C (QC) procedures yielded values ranging from 6.4 to 13.2 ppm with insignificant differences in material and procedure factors (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The cooling procedures may affect the monomer elution from denture base materials. The Ε procedure may be considered a universal cooling procedure compared to the ones proposed by the manufacturers, with the lowest residual monomer elution in water.

New method to differentiate surface damping behavior and stress absorption capacities of common CAD/CAM restorative materials

OBJECTIVES

To assess energy dissipation capacities and surface damping abilities of different CAD/CAM restorative materials (CRMs) to characterize stress resistance during load peaks.

METHODS

Using instrumented indentation testing (IIT), Martens hardness (HM) together with its elastic (η_IT) and plastic index (η_ITdis) and Leeb hardness (HLD) together with its deduced energy dissipation (HLD_dis) were determined for eight ceramic, eight composite, and four polymer-based materials as well as three metals. The results were compared to those of bovine enamel. Ten indentations per material were performed at room temperature (23 ± 1 °C) on two separate specimens (12.0 × 12.0 × 3.5 mm³) after water storage (24 h; 37.0 ± 1.0 °C). Hardness parameters were recorded, and data were analyzed with one-way MANOVA (Games-Howell post hoc tests, α = 0.05). Correlations between different parameters were tested (Pearson, α = 0.05).

RESULTS

Independently determined HLD_dis, and η_ITdis values substantiated different energy dissipation characteristics of CRM, whereby a strong correlation was observed for the two datasets (r = 0.956, p = 0.011). Ceramics had the significantly lowest values (p < 0.001) while both parameters revealed the highest surface damping effects for metals (p < 0.001), followed in both cases by bovine enamel. Energy dissipation of polymer and composite CRM was in between ceramics and bovine enamel (p < 0.001), whereas only for HLD_dis did both show no significant difference (p > 0.05).

SIGNIFICANCE

Promising new HLD_dis and η_ITdis data allow a reliable differentiation of energy dissipation and surface damping capacities of CRMs. Previously published rankings of edge chipping and loss tangent results were perfectly reproduced, especially by HLD_dis.

Prosthodontic Applications of Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA): An Update

A wide range of polymers are commonly used for various applications in prosthodontics. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is commonly used for prosthetic dental applications, including the fabrication of artificial teeth, denture bases, dentures, obturators, orthodontic retainers, temporary or provisional crowns, and for the repair of dental prostheses. Additional dental applications of PMMA include occlusal splints, printed or milled casts, dies for treatment planning, and the embedding of tooth specimens for research purposes. The unique properties of PMMA, such as its low density, aesthetics, cost-effectiveness, ease of manipulation, and tailorable physical and mechanical properties, make it a suitable and popular biomaterial for these dental applications. To further improve the properties (thermal properties, water sorption, solubility, impact strength, flexural strength) of PMMA, several chemical modifications and mechanical reinforcement techniques using various types of fibers, nanoparticles, and nanotubes have been reported recently. The present article comprehensively reviews various aspects and properties of PMMA biomaterials, mainly for prosthodontic applications. In addition, recent updates and modifications to enhance the physical and mechanical properties of PMMA are also discussed.