Characterization of some proprietary soft lining materials

Abstract

The physical and mechanical properties of a series of commercial denture soft lining materials have been investigated. The materials were selected to provide a representative sample of the materials widely used for this application. A total of seven products were evaluated including established and widely used acrylic and silicone materials as well as newer polyphosphazine and fluoroelastomer materials. The objective of the study was to determine minimally acceptable and desirable levels for each property which could be used as criteria or standards for the selection of proposed new materials. The results identified several areas requiring attention and future work. In particular, the importance of using fully-water-equilibrated specimens was emphasized for acrylic polymers where large property changes occurred between wet and dry conditions, and in the case of the polyphosphazine materials where the long time required for full equilibration may lead to understimates of the changes involved. Based upon the properties as measured, recommendations for appropriate standard level for each property are offered.