The Use of Light-Cured Resin as an Alternative Method of Occlusal Splints Manufacturing – In Vitro Study

Abstract

Background. Temporomandibular disorders are very common nowadays. One of the methods to treat these problems is occlusal splint therapy. Modern materials should be introduced to this treatment. Objectives. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the properties of light-activated urethane dimethacrylate and the quality of the bonds it creates with thermoforming foils. Material and Methods. Thermoforming foils were covered with light-cured resin. A bond was formed between the materials using an adhesive. A coating lacquer was used on the resin as a final preparatory step. Three laboratory tests were run: dye penetrant inspection, a Vickers microhardness test and a linear polymerization shrinkage test. The materials were layered and then cured with a polymerizing lamp emitting light of a wavelength of 400 Nm, according to the manufacturer's instructions. All the occlusal splints were fitted to upper dental arch. The devices had been made in an articulator on specially prepared gypsum models. The results were analyzed statistically using a one-sided binomial test, Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient and the Friedman ANOVA (p = 0.05). Results. In the dye penetrant inspection, only one sample out of sixty showed the effects of color penetration to the adhesive connection. The dye only penetrated the layer of lacquer coating the resin. The average value of the Vickers microhardness test with a load of F = 50 g applied to the material surface for 30 s was HV 0.05 = 7.43 N/mm

Literature Review of an Anterior Deprogrammer to Determine the Centric Relation and Presentation of Cases

“…Its cost-effectiveness is also improved as it is cheaper than light-cured resin. However, it is not a perfect material as some individuals may experience hypersensitivity [76,77] to the monomer present in acrylate materials. This can lead to skin allergies and respiratory allergies in both dental technicians and patients.…”

“…This can lead to skin allergies and respiratory allergies in both dental technicians and patients. Additionally, acrylate materials have a strong, pungent odor that disappears after polymerization [77,78].…”

Effects of storage and toothbrush simulation on color, gloss, and roughness of CAD/CAM, hand-cast, thermoforming, and 3D-printed splint materials

“…It can be assumed that the material hardness has an effect on roughness. Light-curing occlusal splint resins are expected to have comparable hardness as auto-polymerizing systems [63,64], but hardness of 3D-printed occlusal splint materials is influenced by the print angle [17]. Martens hardness and indentation modulus depend on post-polymerization and are expected to decrease after water storage [39] [62].…”