Abstract
The aim of this study was to develop novel hydrophilic vinyl polysiloxane (VPS) materials incorporating novel hydrophilic agents (Rhodasurf CET-2 and CET-5). In addition, experimental material's wetting properties (contact angles) were compared with commercial materials upon immersion in various media. Three commercial (Aquasil Ultra-Monophase [Aq M], Elite HD-Monophase [Elt M], Extrude Medium-bodied [Extr M]) and five experimental (Exp I-V) materials were used in this study. The contact angles were measured at time intervals (10, 30, 60 and 120 s), immediately after setting and after immersion using a Drop Shape Analysis (DSA). The results were analyzed statistically using the SPSS software. The largest contact angle (at 10 s) was recorded for Elt M (108.78 +/- 6.04) that was significantly larger (p < 0.05) than Aq M (36.19 +/- 4.05) and Extr M (44.65 +/- 3.11). The contact angles for experimental materials Exp-I (108.35 +/- 4.45), Exp-II (104.08 +/- 4.70) closely matched to Elt M (108.78 +/- 6.04) however were significantly larger (p < 0.05) than other experimental groups Exp-III (68.50 +/- 4.29), Exp-IV (35.26 +/- 3.46), Exp-V (24.47 +/- 5.92) and commercial materials Aq M (36.19 +/- 4.05) and Extr M (44.65 +/- 3.11). In conclusion, the experimental vinyl polysiloxane materials containing the surfactant (Rhodasurf CET-2) showed lower contact angles compared to controls (Exp-I and Exp-II) and commercial vinyl polysiloxane impression materials. The decrease in contact angles was dependent on the concentration of surfactant (Rhodasurf CET-2) in the materials. In addition, the smaller molecular weight surfactant (Rhodasurf CET-2) resulted in lower contact angles compared to the larger molecular weight surfactant (Rhodasurf CET-5).