Comparative evaluation of compressive strength and surface detail reproducibility of type II and type III gypsum cast materials after sterilization by microwave irradiation: An in-vitro study
R. Sandhya Rani, Sarah A. Bukhari, A. Deenson, Ahmed Yahya Ibrahim Fageh, Walid Khalid A. Hafiz, Sabari Murugesan, J. Suresh Babu, C. Swarnalatha, Abhishek Singh NayyarAbstract
Introduction:
Gypsum casts are a potential source of cross-contamination between the clinical and laboratory settings, while various disinfection methods have been used to overcome this situation.
Aim:
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of microwave irradiation as a possible disinfection method on the compressive strength and surface detail reproducibility of Type II and Type III gypsum cast materials at different time intervals.
Materials and Methods:
The present study included two groups, including control and microwave irradiated group wherein the prepared samples were tested for compressive strength using FIE Universal Testing Machine with an applied load of 400 kg at a cross-head speed of 5 mm/min, while surface detail reproducibility was evaluated using Jenoptik ProgRes C14 stereozoom microscope, and the results obtained subjected to statistical analysis.
Results and Discussion:
The findings of the present study revealed no statistically significant differences on intergroup comparisons (control and microwave irradiated groups) for the observed compressive strength and surface detail reproducibility values for both Type II and Type III gypsum samples at 2 h and 24 h, respectively (
Conclusions:
Based on the results obtained in the study, it could, thus, be concluded that microwave irradiation showed negligible effects on both compressive strength and surface detail reproducibility values of Type II and Type III gypsum samples irrespective of the time intervals used in study, clinically implying that microwave irradiation can safely be used to disinfect dental casts for both Type II and Type III gypsum products without significantly affecting their physical characteristics.