Impact of Packing and Processing Technique on Mechanical Properties of Acrylic Denture Base Materials

The fracture resistance of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as the most popular denture base material is not satisfactory. Different factors can be involved in denture fracture. Among them, flexural fatigue and impact are the most common failure mechanisms of an acrylic denture base. It has been shown that there is a correlation between the static strength and fatigue life of composite resins. Therefore, the transverse strength of the denture base materials can be an important indicator of their service life. In order to improve the fracture resistance of PMMA, extensive studies have been carried out; however, only a few promising results were achieved, which are limited to some mechanical properties of PMMA at the cost of other properties. This study aimed at optimizing the packing and processing condition of heat-cured PMMA as a denture base resin in order to improve its biaxial flexural strength (BFS). The results showed that the plain type of resin with a powder/monomer ratio of 2.5:1 or less, packed conventionally and cured in a water bath for 2 h at 95 °C provides the highest BFS. Also, it was found that the performance of the dry heat processor is inconsistent with the number of flasks being loaded.