Roughness and porosity of provisional crowns

RESUMO

This study aimed at evaluating the surface roughness and porosity of an acrylic resin used for provisional crowns. Six different processing techniques (direct and indirect) were assessed: (I) heat-cured acrylic resin under pressure; (II) heat-aided autopolymerizing resin under pressure; (III) autopolymerizing resin under pressure; (IV) bead-brush technique; (V) autopolymerizing resin in sandy stage; (VI) autopolymerizing resin in plastic stage. Twelve specimens were made for each test group. Roughness was evaluated with a rugosimeter, and porequantification was performed using a stereoscopic magnifying lens. The highest mean surface roughness (Ra = 0.908 mm) was measured for Group VI. The lowest surface roughness value (Ra = 0.141 mm) was determined for Group I. Significant differences in mean surface roughness were found between direct and indirect techniques. Direct techniques reached the highest roughness and porosity values; its use should be restricted to avoid creating favorable conditions for microorganism proliferation