Impact of fabrication procedures on residual monomer elution of conventional polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-a measurement approach by UV/Vis spectrophotometry

Objectives: To analyse the residual monomer (MMA) elution of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) in distilled water after diverse fabrication methods and aging procedures.

Materials and methods: PMMA specimens (N = 192, PalaXpress; Kulzer, Hanau, Germany) were manufactured (pouring, n = 96/injection, n = 96) and polymerized in water (55°C) without pressure (n = 48) and with 2 bar pressure (n = 48). Specimens were grinded (n = 24) or polished (n = 24) and aged for 12 h in distilled water/37°C (n = 12) or at air/20°C (n = 12) and stored afterwards in distilled water at 37°C. MMA elution was evaluated after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 15 days (UV/Vis spectrophotometry). Data were analysed with Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney-U and Cohen-d test using SPSS (α < 0.5).

Results: The pouring procedure resulted in significantly higher MMA elution than the injection procedure up to 5 days. Polymerization with a pressure of 2 bar reduced the MMA elution significantly for poured specimens. Polishing reduced the MMA elution in comparison to grinding.

Conclusions: The fabrication procedure (pouring/injection) showed the strongest correlation to the MMA elution (r = 0.500), followed by polishing (r = 0.243), the pressure during polymerization (r = 0.109) and the storage medium (r = 0.053).

Clinical relevance: Higher MMA elution may increase the risk of chemical irritations, allergic reactions and hypersensitivities of the oral mucosa. Technicians and dentists should be aware about the elution differences dependent on the fabrication procedure.