In vitro cytotoxicity of tissue conditioners.

The cytotoxicity of four commercial tissue conditioners was evaluated by the agar overlay method. Every material either fresh or stored for 1 hour, 24 hours, 8 days, or 15 days, showed some degree of cytotoxicity. Coe Comfort and Kerr FITT materials exhibited marked cytolysis, whereas GC Soft-Liner and Visco-gel materials caused a decolorized zone with minimal cell damage. Based on the sum of reaction indices, the tissue conditioners tested seemed to be more cytotoxic than autopolymerizing denture base resins. Further analyses are needed to identify the cytotoxic components that continued to leach out from the tissue conditioners for at least 15 days.