Stress State Evaluation in Complete Denture by Electrical Resistance Strain Gage

Abstract

Total dentures are made of acrylic resins and artificial teeth. Among the prevalent fracture types of the dentures, 29% was a mid-line fracture, in which 68% were observed in maxillary complete dentures and 28% in mandibular complete dentures. Due to the large number of failures recorded on the maxillary dentures, several studies were conducted to establish the causes that produce these failures but also to find solutions for their prevention. One source of information about the strength of a maxillary denture under the applied load, is represented by the establishment of the stress and strain state during the loading. Different methods have been used for investigating the strain or stress distribution during deformation of dentures. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the stress and strain state of a maxillary denture loaded in compression until the final fracture. For this study, electrical resistance strain gage were used for evaluation the strain and stress distribution in the maxillary denture made of different acrylic resins. Based on observations from practice, the strain gages were applied on the middle line of the denture at the base of the incisors and respectively on the sides of the denture, under molars. The dentures were loaded until failure and were registered the strains in the located strain gages. Also, for each type of acrylic resin were determined separately the mechanical properties of elasticity and strength. Based on the tests conducted were determined the critical stress and strain in the areas of interest. In all the tests carried out the fracture occurred in the median area of the denture and the crack was initiated between the incisor teeth. The stress and strain field associated with the crack initiation mode showed a strong influence of geometry on the fracture strength of denture. Also the type of acrylic resin has a significant effect on the fracture strength of complete denture either by strength capacity but especially by their ability to elasticity. Based on this analysis have been established new criteria for selection of acrylic resins, not only for aesthetic reasons but also for elasticity and strength reasons.