A pilot study to determine the effects of skin contact on two commonly used dental impression materials

Impression materials used in the analysis of bite marks are required to maintain their stability and integrity for extended periods. It has been observed that certain impressions taken of skin lose their properties with time, becoming sticky and unusable as evidence. The objective of this study was to investigate the onset of "stickiness" in two commonly used dental impression materials when brought into contact with skin. The two materials tested were Impregum and President. They were syringed into glass rings positioned on the upper arms of 28 volunteers. Changes in stickiness were monitored over a four-month period using a tensile testing machine. A metal plunger was lowered onto the impression material and then retracted measuring the adhesive force of the material to the lower surface of the plunger. Over the research period 17 of the 28 rings of Impregum became sticky and changed colour from purple to turquoise. The remaining 11 Impregum samples, all the President samples and all control samples remained unchanged over the 120 day period. The results of this study show that certain factors present in or on skin are responsible for the loss of surface integrity of Impregum. The factors responsible for these changes have not been established.