DYNAMIC-MECHANICAL THERMAL-ANALYSIS OF MAXILLOFACIAL ELASTOMERS

Statement of problem. Maxillofacial prosthetic materials should simula te the oral tissues as much as possible and therefore have a similar f lexibility and resilience. In light of the oral tissues constantly mov ing, the dynamic deformation properties of maxillofacial materials wou ld seem the most relevant. Purpose. In this study, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis was used to evaluate the deformation properties of fi ve silicone rubber materials used to construct facial prostheses. The technique involves the application of a sinusoidally oscillating stres s to a material and analyzes how the material elastically or viscoelas tically responds to the stress. The dynamic mechanical thermal analysi s can operate at a fixed frequency or range of frequencies over a spec ific temperature range and also isothermally as a function of time. Re sults. Cosmesil and A-2186 materials were the most resilient materials and Silbione had the greater energy absorption capacity, which was pa rticularly noticeable at the higher frequencies. Silbione also had a l ower shear modulus (G'), which indicated it was more flexible than the other materials. Conclusion. The dynamic mechanical thermal analysis proved to be a rapid, reliable, and convenient method for the determin ation of viscoelastic properties of maxillofacial materials.