Mechanical Strength of an Acrylic Resin Palatal Denture Base Reinforced with a Mesh or Bundle of Glass Fibers

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the mechanical strength of an acrylic resin palatal denture base reinforced with a mesh or bundle of glass fibers. Silicon and stone casts of an edentulous maxilla (Frasaco) were used to manufacture palatal denture bases (n = 20) using heat-polymerized acrylic resin (SR Triplex Hot). The denture bases were reinforced with either 1 or 3 layers of glass-fiber mesh (Stick Net) or with a bundle of unidirectional glass fibers (Stick). Denture bases without reinforcement served as the control group. Fracture tests were carried out on a universal testing machine to determine each material's mechanical strength. The highest mean fracture values of 919 N were obtained in samples with 3 layers of Stick Net, with mean values of 677 N in the control samples. The differences between these 2 groups were statistically significant (P .05). The applied glass-fiber reinforcement increased the mechanical strength of the acrylic resin palatal denture bases.