English

Abstract

BACKGROUND Polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) resin is the most commonly used denture base material which satisfies colour stability, aesthetic demands, accurate fit, affordable cost, and ease in manipulation. The common disadvantages are incomplete flow, impact strength, transverse strength and fatigue resistance. The fracture of denture base is mainly due to flexural fatigue failure which can be minimised by reinforcing with various artificial and natural fibres. There are very few studies which have incorporated natural fibres to enhance the strength of PMMA resin. So, in this study both natural and artificial fibres were used to enhance the property and find the best fibres to strengthen the denture base. METHODS A total of 80 samples were prepared using a standardized stainless steel metal die and these samples were grouped into Group A as control group, Group B PMMA samples reinforced with raw teak wood fibres, Group C reinforced with alkali treated teak wood fibres, Group D reinforced with heat treated teak wood fibres and Group E samples were reinforced with Ultra-High molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene fibres and processing was carried out by conventional method. The flexural strength of each sample was calculated. RESULTS The mean flexural strength of Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D and Group E were 82.338, 58.680, 62.259, 105.878, 90.2263 respectively with a P value of 0.001. Group D samples showed a P value < 0.001 which was statistically significant when compared to other groups. The obtained values were statistically analysed by oneway ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD test using statistical software SPSS 17. CONCLUSIONS This in-vitro study infers that the samples of Group D incorporated with heat treated teak fibres had shown increased flexural strength, which could be a good replacement for various synthetic and natural fibres to enhance the strength of denture base resins. KEY WORDS Teakwood Fibres, Heat Treatment, Alkali Treatment, Sandwich Technique, Polyethylene Fibres