Wettability of silicone rubber maxillofacial prosthetic materials.
BACKGROUND
Maxillofacial prosthetic materials that contact skin or mucosa should have good wettability. A material that is easily wetted will form a superior lubricating layer between the supporting tissues and, thus, reduce friction and patient discomfort. The surface energy of a maxillofacial prosthetic material will give an indication of the amount of energy available for adhesion and of the susceptibility of the material to bacterial adhesion.


OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated the wettability and surface energies of a range of commercially available silicone rubber maxillofacial prosthetic materials.


METHODS
Contact angles and surface energies were measured by using a dynamic contact angle measuring technique. Four commonly used silicone maxillofacial materials were tested and their properties compared with those of an acrylic resin denture base material and a widely used denture soft lining material.


RESULTS
There were no significant differences in the wettability of the silicone rubber materials. All materials were significantly less wetted than the denture acrylic resin material. There were no significant differences in the surface energies of the silicone rubber materials, but all were significantly lower than denture acrylic resin material.


CONCLUSIONS
The Cahn dynamic contact angle analyzer was a quick and reproducible method for determining the contact angles and surface energies of maxillofacial materials. Further work is needed to improve the wettability of silicone rubber materials used for maxillofacial prostheses, thus, reducing their potential to produce friction with tissues.
Waters
M G
MG
Department of Basic Dental Science, Dental School, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
Jagger
R G
RG
Polyzois
G L
GL
D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003822:Denture Liners; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008447:Maxillofacial Prosthesis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012826:Silicone Elastomers / Q000737:chemistry*; D017155:Wettability
D000180:Acrylic Resins; D012826:Silicone Elastomers