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Surface Engineering for PMMA-Based Removable Prostheses: A Narrative Review
Jamal Al Ashkar1, Nicoleta Ioanid1, Delia Teodora Dima1
1Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.
Polymers
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Next-generation dentures use ceramic modifiers like hydroxyapatite, silica, and titanium dioxide to enhance polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) prosthetics, improving mechanical strength and biological performance for longer-lasting dental applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Polymer Science
- Dental Materials
Background:
- Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is the standard for prosthetic dentures but has limitations including poor mechanical properties, susceptibility to wear, and microbial colonization.
- These limitations restrict the therapeutic lifespan of current PMMA-based prosthetics, necessitating the development of advanced materials.
- Existing PMMA prosthetics lack bioactivity and adequate mechanical reinforcement, leading to premature failure and patient discomfort.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a conceptual framework for designing next-generation PMMA-based prosthetic dentures.
- To analyze the functionalization of ceramic modifiers (hydroxyapatite, silica, titanium dioxide) for enhanced PMMA prosthetics.
- To provide a roadmap for developing advanced, durable, and interactive prosthetic materials.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review of existing literature on PMMA, ceramic modifiers, and hybrid material systems.
- Critical analysis of hydroxyapatite (HA), silica (SiO2), and titanium dioxide (TiO2) as functional phases in PMMA matrices.
- Evaluation of synergistic effects in binary and ternary ceramic-PMMA systems.
Main Results:
- Ceramic modifiers transform PMMA from a passive filler to an active functional phase, imparting osteoconductivity (HA), surface reactivity and drug delivery (SiO2), and mechanical reinforcement/antibacterial activity (TiO2).
- Hybrid PMMA-ceramic materials exhibit superior structural, mechanical, and biological performance compared to standard PMMA resins.
- Synergistic effects in binary and ternary systems (e.g., HA-TiO2, SiO2-HA, HA-SiO2-TiO2) enhance osteoblast proliferation, reduce biofilms, improve fracture toughness, and increase corrosion resistance.
Conclusions:
- PMMA can be engineered as a multimodal biofunctional platform by incorporating ceramic modifiers.
- Hybrid polymer-ceramic systems offer significant potential for advanced prosthetic dentures with improved clinical durability.
- Further research is needed to address interfacial stability, synthesis standardization, and regulatory aspects for clinical translation.
