Acrylic Resin Water Sorption Under Different Pressure, Temperature and Time Conditions

The purpose of this work was to analyze water sorption by polymerized acrylic resins under different pressure, temperature and time treatments. A thermo-cured acrylic resin was used as the denture base (Classico Ltda.) and ethylene glycol di-methacrylate as a cross-linking agent, with processing carried out in a water bath at 73 °C for nine hours. Forty-five samples were prepared following the criteria and dimensions of specification # 12 of the American Dental Association (ADA), using a matrix in the shape of a stainless steel disc with 50 ± 1 mm diameter and 0.5 ± 0.05 mm thickness. The control group samples were stored in distilled water for 30 days, while groups GII to GIX were placed in a polymerization device with adjustable pressure, time and temperature. An analysis of the variance of the results revealed the influence of different factors on water sorption only, with significant factors being temperature, time, pressure and the interaction between time and temperature. Other interactions exerted no significant influence on water sorption. Neither additional treatments nor the control group (GI) showed any significant difference in comparison to the averages of other treatments.