Water sorption and solubility of glass fiber-reinforced denture polymethyl methacrylate resin

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) absorbs water slowly over a period of time, primarily because of the polar properties of the resin molecules. The aim of this study was to determine the water sorption and solubility of heat-cured and chemical-cured glass fiber (GF) PMMA composite used in dentures. The test specimens (n = 5) were fabricated from experimental, unidirectional, continuous GF reinforcement; the GF concentration of the test specimens was approximately 11% by weight. Water sorption and solubility were tested in accordance with International Standards Organization specification No. 1567. The results revealed that the type of acrylate had more of an effect on water sorption than did the presence of GF reinforcement in the test specimen (p = 0.001 and p = 0.049, respectively). In the GF-reinforced test specimens the type of PMMA also affected the water sorption values (p = 0.006). GF reinforcement affected the solubility values of the test specimen (p = 0.002), but the type of acrylate had no effect on solubility (p = 0.585). The results of this study suggest that the water sorption and solubility of unreinforced PMMA and PMMA reinforced with GF are in accordance with International Standards Organization specification No. 1567.