Porosity of resin veneer materials

The present investigation has studied the effects of different types of resins and different processing and curing methods on the number and size of pores occurring in resin facing materials. The mean number of pores per square millimeter varied between 0.5 and 4. The highest numbers occurred in unfilled heat-polymerized acrylic resin and in light-activated resin, whereas the lowest numbers were found in heat-polymerized micro-filled resin. Specimens processed in accordance with the free technique and cured under pressure consistently obtained lower numbers of pores than the corresponding specimens processed in a flask. Most of the pores were less than 50 micron diameter in all test groups. From a clinical point of view, a dense resin with a limited content of pores may give the most favorable results in terms of mechanical, esthetic, and hygienic properties of the veneer.