Penetration ability of various elastomeric impression materials using a gingival sulcus model

Abstract

This study aims to compare the penetration ability of elastomer impression materials in a three-dimensional gingival sulcus model. Four types of elastomer (polyether, polysulfide, addition curing silicone and vinylpolyethersilox-ane) were tested using models with three sulcular widths (0.2 mm, 0.1 mm and 0.05 mm). Six impressions were taken for each width with one material type. They were measured by stereomicroscope (Olympus SZ61) and interpreted by image analysis software (Image-Pro Plus). A two-way ANOVA and Dunnette T3 test were performed with the level of significance (P-value) set at P< 0.05. The results of this study showed no statistically significant differences among four elastomers for a 0.2 mm and 0.1 mm gingival sulcus. For a 0.05 mm sulcus width, polysulfide demonstrated the best penetration ability and flowability into the sulcus. This was statistically higher than additional curing silicone and vi-nylpolyethersiloxane. In conclusion, our three-dimensional gingival model revealed the penetration characteristics of elastomeric impression materials. In clinical application, using polyether and polysulfide materials for narrow sulcus width may yield good clinical results for restoration. © 2018-2021, Rangsit University.