The Effects of Er:YAG, Nd:YAG, and Ho:YAG Laser Surface Treatments to Acrylic Resin Denture Bases on the Tensile Bond Strength of Silicone-Based Resilient Liners.

OBJECTIVE

The present study was to assess the effect of surface treatments of Er:YAG, Nd:YAG, and Ho:YAG lasers on the tensile bond strength of a silicone-based resilient liner to an acrylic denture in an in vitro setting.

METHODS

Experimental dumbbell-shaped specimens (75 mm) were produced by combining two acrylate pieces fabricated from heat-polymerized acrylic resin (36 mm) with 3 mm of Molloplast(®)-B filling between them. The specimens (n=200) were randomly divided in half for thermocycling, and each 100 specimen set was randomized into five groups (n=20) with different surface treatments: control (no surface treatment), sandblasting, Er:YAG laser, Nd:YAG laser, and Ho:YAG laser. A tensile bond strength test was performed. The effect of the laser surface treatments was examined with scanning electron microscopy.

RESULTS

Only the Er:YAG laser increased the tensile bond strength compared with the other treatments. The other laser groups showed lower bond strengths. The Ho:YAG laser resulted in considerably reduced tensile bond strength. The scanning electron microscopy images showed that applying laser surface treatments modified the surface of the denture base resin.

CONCLUSIONS

There was not an overall improvement with the use of the studied laser modalities in the adhesion quality of resilient denture liner to acrylic resin, although Er:YAG laser showed a potential to improve their adhesion. These laser modalities need to be subjected to further studies to determine optimal setup for use in prosthodontics.