Wetting the repair surface with methyl methacrylate affects the transverse strength of repaired heat-polymerized...

This study investigated the transverse strength of repaired test specimens of heat-cured acrylic resin. The repair surfaces of the specimens were wetted with methyl methacrylate for various amounts of time before the autopolymerizing acrylic resin was applied to the joint space. A three-point loading test was used to determine the transverse strength of the test specimens, and the morphologic changes in the methyl methacrylate-wetted repair surface was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Visual inspection was used to determine whether the failures were adhesive or cohesive. The results revealed that repaired test specimens were weaker than those unrepaired (p < 0.001). The strength of the test specimens increased as the duration of methyl methacrylate wetting of the repair surfaces increased (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the number of adhesive failures was small if the repair surfaces were adequately wetted with methyl methacrylate. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that after 60- and 180-second wetting periods, the poly(methyl methacrylate) was noted to be dissolved with a smooth surface texture. This study suggests that proper wetting of the repair surface makes an important contribution to the strength of repaired acrylic resin.