Clinical performance of a light-cured denture base material compared to polymethylmethacrylate—a randomized clinical study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical long-term performance of a visible light-cured resin (VLCR) denture base material and to compare it to a well-established polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-based denture acrylic in a randomized split-mouth clinical long-term study. One hundred removable partial dentures in 90 patients, with at least two saddles each, were investigated. One saddle was made of VLCR, while the other was made of PMMA at random. Plaque adhesion, tissue reaction, and technical parameters of the dentures were assessed 6, 12, and 18 months after treatment. Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Though VLCR showed higher plaque adhesion than PMMA after 6, 12, and 18 months (p < 0.001), there were no important differences with regard to tissue reaction. Concerning plaque adhesion, surface quality with regard to the lower side, interfaces between denture acrylic and metal and the boundary between denture acrylic and denture tooth PMMA was rated higher than VLCR. The surface quality of the upper side of the denture saddles showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). Neither VLCR nor PMMA showed discoloration at any point in time (p > 0.05). It can be concluded that VLCR is a viable alternative for the production of removable dentures. Especially in patients with hypersensitivities to PMMA, VLCR is particularly suitable for clinical use.