Effect of different amounts of 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane on the flexural properties and wear resistance of alumina reinforced PMMA

This study evaluated the different amounts of 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) coated alumina filler particles on flexural strength and wear resistance of alumina reinforced polymethyl methacrylate (PM:MA) denture base. Ten mass% of alumina filler silanized with 0, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4 mass% of MPS was blended with PMMA. PMMA without alumina particles served as control. Specimens were prepared for flexural strength and wear resistance tests (n=10). Flexural strength was determined using a 3-point bending test and volume loss was measured by in-vitro 2-body wear-testing. The results were analyzed by One-way ANOVA and Tamhane's test (alpha=0.05). Flexural strength ranged from 95.1-117.8 MPa, while volume loss ranged from 0.038-0.160 mm(3). Statistical analysis indicated the 0.1 mass% MPS silanized group had significantly higher flexural strength and lower volume loss than the control group. Adding alumina filler silanized with 0.1 mass% MPS resulted in an improvement of the flexural strength and wear resistance of PMMA.