Flexural Properties of Glass Fibre Reinforced Acrylic Resin Polymers

Background: In recent years, glass fibres have been used to strengthen denture base resins. A major difficulty in using reinforcing fibres with multiphase acrylic resins, such as powder liquid resins, is inadequate impregnation of the fibres with the resin.

Methods: This investigation examined the reinforcing effect of glass fibres on the fracture resistance and flexural strength of acrylic denture base resins. Eighty identical specimens were formed in specially designed moulds in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. The four experimental groups were prepared and these consisted of conventional acrylic resin and the same resin reinforced with glass fibres. Ten specimens were fabricated in a standardized fashion for each experimental group. Flexural strength was tested using a 3-point universal testing machine.

Results: In this study, statistically significant differences were found in the flexural strength of the specimens (P < 0.05). The injection-moulded, fibre-reinforced group had significantly lower flexural strength than the injection-moulded group (P < 0.001), strength than the microwave-moulded, fibre-reinforced group (P < 0.001), and the microwave-moulded, fibre-reinforced group had lower flexural strength than the microwave-moulded group. The fracture resistance was significantly higher in the injection-moulded, fibre-reinforced group than in the injection-moulded group (P < 0.05), and the fracture resistance was significantly higher in the microwave-moulded, fibre-reinforced group than in the microwave-moulded group.

Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, the flexural strength of heat-polymerized PMMA denture resin was improved after reinforcement with glass fibres. It may be possible to apply these results to distal extension partial and complete denture bases.