Effect of Antibacterial Silver-Releasing Filler on the Physicochemical Properties of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Denture Base Material

Colonization of polymeric dental prosthetic materials by yeast-like fungi and the association of these microorganisms with complications occurring during prosthetic treatment are important clinical problems. In previously presented research, submicron inorganic particles of silver sodium hydrogen zirconium phosphate (S-P) were introduced into poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) denture base material which allowed for obtaining the antimicrobial effect during a 90 day experiment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the flexural strength, impact strength, hardness, wear resistance, sorption, and solubility during three months of storage in distilled water. With increasing S-P concentration after 2 days of conditioning in distilled water, reduced values of flexural strength (107-72 MPa), impact strength (18.4-5.5 MPa) as well as enhanced solubility (0.95-1.49 mu g/mm(3)) were registered, but they were at acceptable levels, and the sorption was stable. Favorable changes included increased hardness (198-238 MPa), flexural modulus (2.9-3.3 GPa), and decreased volume loss during wear test (2.9-0.2 mm(3)). The percentage changes of the analyzed properties during the 90 days of storage in distilled water were similar for all materials.