Viscoelastic properties of tissue conditioners--influence of molecular weight of polymer powders and powder/liquid ratio and the clinical implications.

The effect of the molecular weight of polymer powders and the polymer powder/liquid ratio on the viscoelastic properties after gelation of tissue conditioners was studied by means of a stress relaxation test. The results are summarized as follows. The lower-molecular-weight polymer powders produced the larger flow after gelation especially at long times. The use of a lower powder/liquid ratio produced a greater flow after gelation at both short times and long times. The difference in the molecular weight of polymer powders and the powder/liquid ratio was found to have no influence on changes in viscoelastic properties with the passage of time. It would be possible to control the viscoelastic properties of tissue conditioners suitable for each clinical purpose by making variations in composition and structure.