Dimensional stability of dentures processed in boilable acrylic resins: a comparative study

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Dental Prosthetics

Background:

• Fast boilable denture resins offer advantages like reduced processing time and costs.
• Despite their benefits, limited research exists on their dimensional stability.
• Conventional and high-impact resins serve as benchmarks for comparison.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare the dimensional stability of three fast boilable denture resins against conventional and high-impact resins.
• To quantify linear shrinkage and dimensional changes in denture bases and teeth.
• To assess resin performance under standard long-curing cycles.

Main Methods:

• Five denture resins (3 fast boilable, 1 conventional, 1 high-impact) were processed using a long-curing cycle.
• Linear shrinkage of denture bases and distances between teeth were measured.
• Specific dimensional changes, including flange-to-flange and molar-to-molar distances, were recorded.

Main Results:

• All five denture resins exhibited shrinkage, with linear changes below 1%.
• Flange-to-flange and molar-to-molar changes were minimal, measuring less than 0.5 mm and 0.2 mm, respectively.
• Maxillary dentures processed with boilable resins showed less posterior midpalatal distortion compared to conventional resins.

Conclusions:

• Fast boilable denture resins demonstrate clinically insignificant linear dimensional changes.
• Boilable resins may offer improved dimensional stability in specific areas compared to conventional resins.
• Further clinical studies are recommended to correlate laboratory findings with patient outcomes.