Impregnation of glass fibres with polymethylmethacrylate using a powder-coating method

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a powder-coating method to impregnate glass fibres with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) for dental purposes. The continuous unidirectional E-glass fibres, the surface of which had been treated with precured silane, were powder-coated with spherical PMMA particles. Before the powder-coated prepregs were used, the incorporated PMMA powder was dissolved with methylmethacrylate monomer. The degree of impregnation of the polymerized composite was determined with a scanning electron microscope. The results revealed that the mean degree of impregnation varied from 0.87 to 0.92, being lower in the heat-cured PMMA group (which simulated fabrication of a new denture), and higher in the autopolymerizing group (which simulated the repair of a fractured denture). The means between the two groups did not, however, differ significantly (p=0.249). The results suggest that, even though the method has some shortcomings in terms of dental laboratory technology, the powder-coating method can be used to fabricate or repair acrylic resin-based dentures.