Statement of Problem: Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) resin material that shows evidence of least residual monomer content on processing, should be recommended for clinical usage in order to make it biocompatible and to obtain preeminent physical and mechanical properties.
Aim: To quantify the residual monomer in four commercially available heat activated acrylic resin denture base materials cured by different curing cycles.
Methods: Four commercially available heat activated acrylic denture base materials viz., Trevalon, Trevalon Hi, Acralyn-H and DPI, were manipulated as per the manufacturer's instructions and were cured using two different curing cycles short (S) and long (L) cycle. After the curing, shavings of the cured acrylic samples were obtained by grinding the samples using carbide bur at a slow speed of 200rpm. Accurately weighed shavings were transferred to a vial containing 10 ml of methanol and stirred to extract residual monomer. The content of residual monomer in methanol was estimated at three different time intervals (immediate, one day and one week) using a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method.
Results: Residual monomer levels were found to be less when the samples were cured using short curing cycle (~1.7%) compared to those cured using long curing cycle (~2.1%). Immersion in water resulted in a substantial reduction in the residual monomer content and this reduction was found to be time dependent.
Conclusion: From the results of the present study, it can be concluded that all the selected denture base materials showed minor quantities of residual monomer irrespective of the curing method. Curing cycle involving terminal boil had significant effect in reducing the content. Further, immersion in water for one day significantly reduced the residual monomer content.
Keywords: Methyl methacrylate, Residual monomer, HPLC method, Curing cycle
How to cite this article: Lingeshwar D, Aparna IN, Dhanasekar B, Bagavathi ST, Quantitative Evaluation Of Residual Monomer In Commercially Available Heat Activated Acrylic Denture Base Materials Subjected To Different Curing Regimens. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(2s): 119-125; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.119-125