RESUMEN
The dimensional stability of tissue conditioners characterizes the ability of the materials to yield accurate functional impressions of oral mucosa. This study evaluated the viscoelastic property and the linear dimensional changes with the factor of time and thickness of tissue conditioners (COE-COMFORT(TM), Visco-gel, COE-SOFT(TM), Soft-Liner) The thickness of these materials were changed (1.5mm, 3.0mm) and the percentage changes in dimension were measured at 1h, 12h, 24h, 36h, 3day, 7day after specimen preparation. From the results large differences appear between the various tissue conditioners. The results suggest that the period recommended for forming functional impression would be 2-3days after insertion in the mouth. in addition, it is important to select tissue conditioners suitable for functional impression because of the wide range of dimensional stability among the materials.