Aims: To evaluate the effects of different cleansing solutions on the physical-mechanical properties (roughness, surface hardness, and fatigue resistance) of three polymeric materials used to manufacture retentive attachments for overdentures.
Materials and methods: The roughness and surface hardness analyses each employed 150 specimens measuring . 9 mm × 2 mm in thickness (polyacetal, polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE], and polyethylene terephthalate [PET]; n = 50 each). For fatigue resistance analysis, 180 retentive attachments measuring 4 mm × 3 mm in height (n = 60 each) were used. The properties were evaluated before and after immersion in different cleansing solutions: distilled water, alkaline peroxide, 0.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and Listerine. After the data distribution was verified using Shapiro-Wilk test, parametric or nonparametric analysis was applied (α = .05).
Results: The use of NaOCl caused a significant alteration in the roughness of the materials (P = .011), with a reduction in roughness in polyacetal and an increase in PTFE. The type of solution also influenced the surface hardness (P = .036); with the exception of distilled water, the other solutions promoted increased hardness. During the 24-month period, immersion in water, peroxide, and NaOCl (0.5%) caused increased fatigue resistance (P < .05) of the PET attachments. The immersion protocol resulted in greater fatigue resistance (P < .05) in polyacetal, while PTFE was not affected (P > .05).
Conclusion: Regarding the physical-mechanical properties evaluated, the polymers PET, polyacetal, and PTFE were susceptible to cleansing solutions.