The influence of dental gloves on the setting of impression materials

The increased wearing of gloves during dental treatment has created new problems for general dental practitioners. One of these is the retarded set or total inhibition of addition silicones caused by natural latex gloves. This study was designed to test different gloves and impression materials in common use. Eight latex gloves, selected with different properties representing all possible types, together with four non-latex gloves, made of neoprene, styrene-butadiene, polyethylene and polyvinylchloride, were tested. As a control, mixing with bare hands and with maize starch was carried out. The viscosity changes of five types of impression materials (polyvinylsiloxanes, condensation silicones, alginates, polyether and polysulphides) were measured with a Zwick hardness tester to give the Shore A hardness. No impression materials other than polyvinylsiloxanes were affected by pure latex gloves and those only by two brands. All other impression materials can be mixed and handled with gloved hands without affecting their setting time. The retarded set of polyvinylsiloxanes caused by natural latex gloves is not so widespread as had previously been thought.