Reduction of shrinkage on heat-activated acrylic denture base resin obtaining gradual cooling after processing

Heat-activated acrylic denture base resin is widely used for its many good attributes, although it does show polymerization shrinkage. Although several processing methods have been developed for the purpose of minimizing polymerization shrinkage, some warping after processing is inevitable. The purpose of this study was to examine the development of residual stress relaxation in resin denture base samples in the region where shrinkage was restricted, in order to clarify how cooling variations in the stone mould influenced the shrinkage. Flat, dumbbell-shaped specimens were used. Thermocouples and strain gauges were embedded in the resin for measuring temperature and strain during the dough-stage of resin packing. To clarify stress relaxation in the stone mould, specimens were removed from the stone mould by de-flasking 4 h after the start of cooling at room temperature (control), and 12 and 24 h from the start of gradual cooling in a water bath. The strain differences between before and after removing from the stone mould for the control, and 12- and 24-h experimental groups were 1793, 1354 and 1093 mu epsilon, respectively. Our results suggest that a gradual cooling course for 12 h or more after processing a heat-activated acrylic denture base is effective for lessening deformation of the prosthesis.

Influence of occlusal contact on cervical muscle activity during submaximal clenching

The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between changes in the occlusal contact area and cervical muscle activity. A decreases in the occlusal contact area using bite planes (stage 1: full contact bite plane, stage 2: bilateral molar removed from contact, and stage 3: bilateral molar and premolar removed from contact) was experimentally simulated in seven subjects (aged 23-25 years) with normal dentition, and muscle activity of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) and trapezius muscle (TRM) during 50 and 10% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) was measured by surface electromyography. The SCM activity during 50% MVC was stage 1: 31.2 +/- 9.4 microV and stage 3: 35.3 +/- 12.3 microV. The TRM activity during 50% MVC was stage 1: 15.2 +/- 0.7 microV and stage 3: 18.3 +/- 2.9 microV. At the 50% MVC, stage 3 showed significant differences in comparison with stage 1 (P < 0.05, anova). These findings suggested that the sternocleidomastoid and TRM play roles in the exertion of occlusal force, and decreases in the occlusal contact area influence the amount of SCM and TRM activity.

Mandibular condyle movement during mastication of foods

This study evaluated the mandibular condyle displacement on the working side while masticating certain foods with different textures. For referencing the mandibular condyle movement, the range of voluntary border movement of the mandibular condyle was determined based on the analysis of the sagittal, left lateral and right lateral border motion using Posselt's figure. The test foods consisted of cheese, peanuts, and beef jerky. During mastication of cheese and peanuts, the amount of displacement of the mandibular condyle in all directions was within the range of border movement. Significant posterior and superior shifts of the mandibular condyle were observed during mastication of beef jerky, compared with the findings obtained during border movement. Accordingly, it is suggested that prolonged mastication of hard fibrous foods, may stimulate the temporomandibular joint structure and mandibular dysfunction patients should limit their intake of such foods.

A case of an embryo transfer calf infected with bovine leukemia virus from the recipient cow

A case was discovered where the embryo transfer (ET) calf had been infected with bovine leukemia virus (BLV) from the recipient cow. The embryo was transferred from the BLV-uninfected donor cow to the recipient cow. However, the BLV test had not been performed to the recipient cow before ET was performed. The ET calf was raised in a calf hatch from birth to 1-month old and was given the recipient cow's colostrum and milk artificially. The ET calf was raised with the two other calves from a 1-month old to a 6-month old. The BLV test was performed to the ET calf by agar gel precipitation (AGP) and passive haemagglutination (PHA) assay when the ET calf was 6 months old. Because the ET calf was positive, the BLV test was performed to the recipient cow, the two other calves raised with the ET calf and the two dams of the two other calves. Because the recipient cow only was positive at the time of the first test, we judged that the ET calf had been infected with BLV from the recipient cow. The importance of the BLV test being carried out on the recipient cow for the prevention of enzootic bovine leukemia in a case of ET was recognised.

Posture correction as part of behavioural therapy in treatment of myofascial pain with limited opening

In this study, we applied cognitive behavioural intervention to subjects who had painful limited mouth opening, with or without posture correction in daily life. The efficacy of non-intervention control was then compared with it in order to study the effectiveness of posture correction as part of a biobehavioural therapy. The visual analogue scale (VAS) value of pain intensity at maximum mouth opening and disturbance in daily life sharply declined in the group which received only cognitive behavioural intervention and those who received it together with posture correction in daily life compared to the non-intervention control group although there was little difference between the intervention groups. Moreover, pain-free unassisted mouth opening was restored earlier in the group which had added posture correction. This suggests that posture correction in daily life has a positive effect in alleviating myofascial pain with limited mouth opening.

Distortion behavior of heat-activated acrylic denture-base resin in conventional and long, low-temperature processing methods

There have been many reports on fatal distortion of heat-activated acrylic denture-base resin which is still widely used in the field of removable prosthodontics. However, these reports have failed to report quantitatively on polymerization and thermal shrinkage factors. In the present study, we attempted to verify that the shrinkage of heat-activated acrylic denture-base resin was caused mainly by thermal contraction after processing. Furthermore, we examined the degree of distortion resulting from long, low-temperature processing, and compared the results with that of the conventional method. The strain gauge and thermo-couple were embedded in a specimen at the time of resin packing. The measurement started from the beginning of processing and continued until the specimen was bench-cooled and immediately before and after it was de-flasked, as well as during seven-day immersion in water at 37 degrees C. The resin expanded when processed by the conventional method. Meanwhile, mild shrinkage, possibly polymerization shrinkage, was observed when the resin was processed by the low-temperature method. This suggested that polymerization shrinkage was compensated for by thermal expansion during processing by the conventional method. Moreover, the shrinkage strains in the period from the completion of processing to immediately after de-flasking, in both the conventional and low-temperature methods, were identical to the theoretical value of thermal shrinkage which we obtained by multiplying the linear coefficients of thermal expansion by temperature differences. The shrinkage strain in the specimen processed by the low-temperature method, measured from the end of processing to immediately after de-flasking, averaged 64% of that in the specimen processed by the conventional method. The results revealed quantitatively that the shrinkage of heat-activated acrylic denture-base resin was mainly thermal shrinkage, and demonstrated the advantage of the low-temperature method in reducing thermal shrinkage.

Stress relaxation of heat-activated acrylic denture base resin in the mold after processing

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Stress relaxation of polymethyl methacrylate has been reported, but no studies have investigated residual stress relaxation in heat-activated acrylic denture base resin fabricated by the polymer-monomer mixture method.

PURPOSE

This study evaluated the development of residual stress relaxation and clarified how restricted time in the stone mold influenced stress relaxation of heat-activated acrylic denture base resin after processing.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Flat, dumbbell-shaped specimens were used. Thermocouples and strain gauges were embedded in resin for measuring temperature and strain at the dough-stage of resin packing. To clarify the stress relaxation in the stone mold, specimens were removed from the mold by deflasking at 4 hours after from the start of bench cooling (immediately after reaching room temperature; control), and 1 day, 3, 5, and 10 days from the start of bench cooling.

RESULTS

Shrinkage strains at deflasking were two thirds for 1 day restriction, one half for 3 and 5 days restriction, as compared with the control.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggested that removing a denture base fabricated by heat-activated acrylic denture base resin from the stone mold only after keeping it in stone mold for at least 1 day or more was effective for reducing deformation of the denture base.

Bonding of plastic teeth to denture base resins

This study evaluated the bond strengths of some new and traditional resin denture teeth and denture base resins. It included regular monolithic acrylic resin teeth (Bioform), monolithic acrylic resin-IPN teeth (Bioform IPN), and multilithic acrylic resin-composite resin teeth (Vivosit), with relatively new light-activated resin (Triad), conventional heat-cured resin (Lucitone 199), and autopolymerizing resin (Hygenic) denture base materials. The results of four-point flexure testing showed that the traditional materials gave the highest bond strength values. The autopolymerizing resin systems demonstrated interfacial failure with all resin denture teeth, showing that the common practice of treating teeth with the respective autopolymerizing monomer failed to produce adequate bond strength. Combinations of acrylic resin, IPN, and multilithic denture teeth with light-activated resins gave results calling for improvements in basic bonding system design, since interface debonding was prevalent. No failures occurred between the lap-ridge region of the multilithic tooth system and conventional heat-cured denture base resin.