Objectives: Thermoplastic polymers show alteration in their mechanical properties after thermoforming on a dental model. The purpose of this in-vitro study was to evaluate the tensile strength of different thermoplastic polymer sheets thermoformed on a pre-treatment (moderate crowding) and post-treatment (well-aligned) maxillary model of a patient.
Materials and methods: Forty maxillary models (Twenty Pre-treatment & twenty Post-treatment of uniform dimension) were made by duplicating them using alginate Hydrogum 5 (Zhermack). Samples were then divided into eight groups of 5 samples each. The thermoplastic sheets Imprelon® (Scheu-Dent), AVAC R® (Jaypee), Placa Crystal® (BioART), EZ-VAC® (3A Medes)-1.0 mm thick were thermoformed on these models respectively. The sample was retrieved using ceramic bur mounted on a straight hand-piece and subjected for testing using TINIUS Olsen 10ST micro universal testing machine and recorded.
Results: There was no statistically significant difference (P > .05) in tensile strength of thermoformed thermoplastic polymer sheets between pre-treatment and post-treatment maxillary model. Tensile strength of EZ-VAC (3A Medes) showed higher variation between pre-treatment and post-treatment maxillary model though it was found to be statistically insignificant (P > .05). Significant difference (P < .05) was seen between groups when they were compared separately among pre-treatment and post-treatment models.
Conclusion: Placa Crystal (BioART) among the pre-treatment group, EZ - VAC (3A Medes) among the post-treatment group, showed highest tensile strength.
Clinical relevance: Results of the study highlights the necessity to test materials in conditions which stands in accordance with the clinical scenario to a considerable extent and also emphasizes the need for further study in aligner.
Keywords: Aligner; Mechanical properties; Tensile strength; Thermoplastic polymer.
© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.