ABSTRACT
The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if clinically acceptable complete denture prostheses can be consistently fabricated with a new injection system. In the first part of this investigation, 14 patients requiring complete denture fabrication had one prosthesis made with the new injection system and one made with the compression-pack technique. Polish, porosity, and esthetics were evaluated by one of three investigators at the placement visit. The percentage of the intaglio surface in contact with the mucosa before adjustment was also measured. One week after placement, the patients were questioned regarding the prostheses' stability, the presence of any undesirable taste, and overall satisfaction. The second portion of the study involved materials property testing of flexural strength and Izod toughness of conventionally packed and injection-packed specimens processed by the fast cycle or the long cycle. In every case, acceptable results were obtained for the resin's polishability, its lack of porosity, esthetics, stability, lack of unpleasant taste, and overall patient satisfaction with the prostheses. No difference in clinical adaptation was observed. These results indicated that no clinical difference was detectable between the conventionally packed and injection-packed denture bases by the investigators or patients in this study. Physical property testing indicates that the differences between groups may be more affected by the polymerization cycle used than the way that the resin was placed in the mold space.