Reinforcing effect of glass-fiber-reinforced composite on flexural strength at the proportional limit of denture base resin.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the reinforcing effect of fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) on flexural strengths at the proportional limit (FS-PL) of a denture base resin.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Bar-shaped acrylic resin specimens and maxillary acrylic resin complete denture specimens were fabricated. The FS-PL of the reinforced bar-shaped specimens was tested. Novel FRC, FibreKor, Remanium, Palatal Bar Wire, and Clasp-Wire were used as reinforcing materials. Likewise, the compressive strength at the proportional limit (CS-PL) of the reinforced maxillary denture specimens was tested.

RESULTS

The FS-PL of the bar-shaped specimens reinforced with the FRCs was significantly higher than that of the unreinforced specimens. The FS-PL of the bar-shaped specimens reinforced with the 1.0-mm-thick FRC was similar to the FS-PL of specimens reinforced with Remanium or Palatal Bar Wire. The FS-PL of specimens reinforced with the 1.5-mm-thick FRC was significantly higher than with the metal-reinforcing materials. The reinforcing efficiency of the 1.0-mm-thick FRC was 1.78-1.79 and of the 1.5-mm-thick FRC 3.14-3.27. The reinforcing effect of the FRC on the CS-PL of the maxillary denture specimen was similar to the effect on the FS-PL of the bar-shaped specimens. The reinforcing efficiency was 1.40 for the 1.0-mm-thick FRC and 1.67 for the 1.5-mm-thick FRC.

CONCLUSION

The unidirectional glass-fiber-reinforced composite had a reinforcing effect on the flexural strength at the proportional limit of the denture base resin.