Amin, Mehedi
(2021)
Effects of Malaysian outdoor weather on physical and mechanical properties of pigmented maxillofacial prosthetic silicone elastomer.
Masters thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Abstract
Silicone elastomers are extensively used in maxillofacial prosthesis fabrication
to rehabilitate craniofacial defects. The exposure to local weather conditions can
influence the average service life of a silicone elastomer. It is observed in clinical
practice that hot and humid weather further affects the durability of silicone material
in terms of surface degradation and tear, thus requiring regular prosthesis replacement.
Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the surface roughness, tensile strength, and
percentage elongation of different pigmented silicone elastomers subjected to outdoor
weathering in the Malaysian environment. An in-vitro experimental study was
performed on 120 type-II dumbbell-shaped specimens (non-weathered=60,
weathered=60) made from three room temperature vulcanized (A-2000, A-2006)
(Factor II, Inc., AZ, USA) materials. For 6 months, weathered specimens were
subjected to outdoor weathering in customized exposure rack, while the non-weathered
specimens were kept in a dehumidifier at 25°C ± 1°C and 50 ± 5% relative humidity.
Afterward, surface roughness was measured using a profilometer (Surfcom Flex,
Tokyo, Japan) whilst tensile strength and percentage elongation was determined using
Universal Testing Machine (Shimadzu, Japan). Independent t-test was performed to
compare the means of the tested
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