title: Effect of in vitro aging on the stiffness of bioabsorbable fixation plates.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of in vitro aging on the stiffness of bioabsorbable fixation plates. Twenty-four polylactic/polyglycolic acid plates (LactoSorb; Lorenz, Jacksonville, FL) were divided in 3 groups of 8 specimens each. Group A served as control, and groups B and C were immersed in 0.1 M lactic acid for 15 and 30 days, respectively. All specimens were subjected to a 3-point bending test, using a universal testing machine, and the stiffness of each specimen was estimated. When analyzed with one-way analysis of variance, no difference was observed for the control and in vitro-aged specimens with regard to stiffness. Long-term (30 d) in vitro aging of poly-L-lactic acid bioabsorbable fixation plates does not seem to significantly affect the stiffness of the material as derived from a 3-point bending test.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials, School of Dentistry, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Spiros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zinelis
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Venetis
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Eliades
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dimitrakopoulos
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eliades
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001860:Bone Plates; D004548:Elasticity; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D019344:Lactic Acid; D008422:Materials Testing; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer
chemical_list: D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid