Evaluation and Comparison of the Transverse Strength of Two Heat Cure Denture Base Resins Repaired With Auto Polymerizing Resin by Wetting with Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) at Different Time Intervals - An In vitro Study

Aims: Fracture of dentures is a common clinical finding in daily prosthodontic practice, resulting in great inconvenience to both the patient and the dentist. A satisfactory repair should be cost-effective, simple to perform, and quick. This study evaluated and compared the transverse strength of two heat cure denture base resins repaired with auto polymerizing resin by wetting with methyl methacrylate (MMA) at different time intervals.
Materials and Methods: Stellon and Trevalon denture base materials were used in the study. A total of 200 heat cure acrylic resin specimens (100 specimens each of Stellon and Trevalon acrylic material) with the dimensions of (65 mm x 10 mm x 3 mm) were prepared. The specimens were divided with 10 specimens for each of the test groups (n =10). The test groups were designated as Group A through J. Repair gap of 2 mm was prepared in the centre of the specimen. The repair surface of the specimens were wetted with MMA at different time intervals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15 and 30 minutes) and repaired by using auto polymerizing resin. The transverse strength of the repaired specimens was tested by a 3 point bending test. All data was statistically analyzed with one-way ANOVA, differences within the groups were analyzed by independent sample t -test.
Results: The results showed that the significant difference between the specimens wetted with MMA at different time intervals. A gradual increase was shown in the mean transverse strength of repaired specimens wetted from 1 minute to 5 minutes in Stellon and from 1 minute to 10 minutes in Trevalon.
Conclusion: Wetting the repair surfaces with MMA for a period of more than 5 minutes and 10 minutes in case of Stellon and Trevalon respectively increases the incidence of adhesive failure in the repaired specimens.