A Study to Evaluate the Fracture Toughness of Denture Base Resin Reinforced With Nanomaterials as an Innovative Denture Base Resin
Apurva Padhye, Sowmya M. Kumar, Arun M. Isloor, Muttanna Venkatesh, Chethan Hegde, Poornima G. HiremathObjective
The most widely used denture base material, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) resin, by itself exhibits poor fracture toughness. The present study aimed to assess the fracture toughness of this denture base resin incorporating calcium carbonate nanoparticles (CNPs) and titanium dioxide nanotubes (TNTs) in varying concentrations.
Materials and Methods
Eighty‐four heat‐cured PMMA samples were prepared, divided into seven groups with 12 specimens each. TNTs and CNPs were incorporated into PMMA at concentrations of 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3%, while unmodified PMMA served as the control. For both materials and composites, the characterisation was conducted through Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction, zeta potential (ZP) analysis, particle size (PS) measurement, scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy to ensure proper synthesis, integration and fabrication. The fracture toughness of each specimen was evaluated using a universal testing machine through a single‐edge‐notched three‐point bending test. Statistical analysis involved ANOVA followed by post hoc Tukey tests to determine significant differences.
Results
Highest fracture toughness values were noted in PMMA with the 0.3% CaCO 3 NPs (CNPs) (4.0 ± 0.19) and 0.3% TNTs (3.9 ± 0.47) reinforced groups when compared to 0.1%, 0.2% and control groups. This illustrated that there is a statistically significant difference in fracture toughness between the four groups.
Conclusion
In comparison to other studies, an interesting finding was that the fracture toughness values at 0.3% were similar to those obtained at 1%. It suggested that a higher concentration may not always be necessary for optimum fracture toughness. Also, excessive concentrations may lead to particle clustering, which could compromise mechanical integrity. The obtained results suggest that nanomaterial inclusion is a promising approach to enhance the strength of denture base resins, but further long‐term clinical studies are necessary to validate their effectiveness.