BMC oral health
Comparative volumetric wear of occlusal splint materials under simulated gastric acid and artificial saliva conditions
By Yıldız Domaniç K, Giritlioğlu Öztürk B and Ateş M.
Abstract
Background
Wear of occlusal splint materials may alter appliance geometry and occlusal relationships during use. This in vitro study evaluated the volumetric material loss of four commercially available occlusal splint materials differing in polymer composition and manufacturing technology after mechanical loading in artificial saliva and simulated gastric acid.
Methods
A total of 128 specimens were prepared from two digital light processing (DLP)-printed PMMA-based resins (Detax Freeprint Splint and Armarez), one CAD/CAM-milled PEEK material (PEEK Biosolution), and one conventionally injection-molded polyamide material (Cool&Flex). The specimens were allocated to artificial saliva or simulated gastric acid and subjected to either 30,000 or 120,000 chewing cycles. Baseline and post-simulation stereolithography datasets were superimposed, and volumetric material loss was calculated in mm³. The effects of material, storage medium, chewing-cycle number, and their interactions were evaluated using robust factorial ANOVA based on 20% trimmed means.