Abstract
BACKGROUND
Dimensional change and porosity in the polymethylmethacrylate based prosthesis affects its clinical performance. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate the porosity and water sorption present in the modified polymethyl methacrylate polymer composite.
METHODS
Control group without fibre reinforcement and test groups with fibre reinforcement were prepared for the study. Three different fibres such as boron free-E glass fibre, untreated and plasma-treated polypropylene fibres in varying weight percentage and aspect ratio were considered for reinforcement. The porosity of the fractured surface was observed through a scanning electron microscope (scanning electron microscope) and sorption measured based on international standards organization (ISO) 1567:1999.
RESULTS
Control group exhibited porous structures, whereas all fibre-reinforced groups did not exhibit porous structure at the fracture surface. There was a significant difference in the sorption rate between control and test group (p < 0.001). Among fibre reinforced test groups, boron free E glass fibre reinforced polymethylmethacrylate exhibited maximum sorption followed by polypropylene fibre reinforced polymer test groups (p < 0.001). However, all samples showed sorption rate within the ISO specification.
CONCLUSIONS
Fiber reinforcement is an effective method to reduce porosity and water sorption in polymethylmethacrylate based polymer composite regardless of the fibre type.