Fracture resistance of maxillary complete dentures subjected to long-term water immersion

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the fracture resistance of maxillary acrylic resin complete dentures subjected to long-term water immersion. Materials and Methods: Maxillary acrylic resin complete dentures were fabricated from five denture base resins. Half of the dentures were stored in water for 50 h, and the other half were kept in water for 180 days before testing. Ten specimens were fabricated per group. The flexural load at the proportional limit (FL-PL) of the dentures was tested. Results: A two-way anova revealed a significant difference in FL-PL because of the denture base material variable. There were no significant differences in FL-PL because of the effect of water immersion and the interaction between the effect of water immersion and the denture base material. The FL-PLs of the dentures fabricated with the two conventional heat-processed resins, the pour-type autopolymerizing resin and the microwave energy-processed resin were not significantly different from each other; they were significantly higher than the light-activated resin in regard to their FL-PL. Conclusion: The FL-PLs of the maxillary acrylic resin complete dentures did not change after long-tern water immersion, and the FL-PL of the denture fabricated from the light-activated resin was lower than those of the other materials. © 2012 The Gerodontology Society and John Wiley & Sons A/S.