Novel acrylic resin denture base with enhanced mechanical properties by the incorporation of PMMA-modified hydroxyapatite

Abstract

A kind of novel acrylic resin denture base enhanced by PMMA-modified hydroxyapatite (M-HAP) was prepared and the modification effect of HAP on the mechanical properties of denture base material was investigated in the present study. HAP whiskers were prepared by hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation process and were silanized by the coupling agent, 3-methacryloxy propyl trimethoxyl silane (γ-MPS), to induce the vinyl groups onto its surface. Methyl methacrylate (MMA) were then modified outside the vinyl functionalized HAP via polymerization to build a similar chemical structure with the acrylic matrix. A novel acrylic resin denture base was obtained through self-curing process with the incorporation of this PMMA-modified HAP, and the content of which ranged from 0wt% to 0.8wt%. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and universal testing apparatus were used to characterize M-HAP and corresponding denture base. The results showed that PMMA were successfully grafted onto the surface of HAP whiskers with up to 15wt% and the modification turned out to be useful for the dispersion and compatibility of whiskers in the acrylic resin matrix. The mechanical properties of the prepared denture base samples were enhanced greatly after incorporating with M-HAP fillers. The optimal incorporated content of M-HAP was also investigated.