Effect of Effervescent Denture Cleansers on 3D Surface Roughness of Conventional Heat Polymerized, Subtractively, and Additively Manufactured Denture Base Resins: An In Vitro Study

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the change in surface roughness of denture bases fabricated using three different techniques (additive manufacturing, subtractive manufacturing, and conventional heat-polymerizing) when immersed in two commonly available denture cleansers. Materials and methods: One hundred and seventeen disc-shaped denture base specimens (39/group), were fabricated by subtractive manufacturing (Wieland), additive manufacturing (NextDent Denture 3D+), and conventional heat-polymerizing (Meliodent) techniques, following the manufacturers’ instructions. Specimens were randomly divided into 3 groups and immersed in two effervescent denture cleansing solutions and distilled water to simulate 180 days of denture cleansing. A 3D optical noncontact surface profilometer was used to record the surface roughness of the tested denture base materials before and after immersion. Two-way ANOVA, followed by Bonferroni post hoc test, was used to assess the effects of denture cleansers on surface roughness of tested denture base resins. Results: When immersed in Fixodent and Fittydent effervescent denture cleansing solutions, the highest change in absolute surface roughness (∆Sa, in μm) was observed in additively manufactured denture base material (0.181 ±0.018 and 0.079 ±0.008), followed by heat-polymerized denture base material (0.149 ±0.012 and 0.059 ± 0.011), while subtractively manufactured denture base material showed the least change (0.110 ±0.026 and 0.038 ±0.007), respectively. There was a difference in the extent of change in surface roughness between the denture cleansers. The change in surface roughness was much higher with the Fixodent denture cleanser as compared to the Fittydent denture cleanser. Conclusion: Subtractively manufactured denture base resin displayed the lowest change while additively manufactured denture base resin displayed the highest change in surface roughness in both denture cleansers, but the extent of change in surface roughness was variable.