The Effect of Bleach Liquid and Household Cleaner on Surface Hardness and Roughness of Acrylic Base of Orthodontic Appliances

The daily use of orthodontic removable plates can interfere with the self-cleansing function of the mouth. Although various techniques have been proposed for cleaning removable orthodontic appliances, there is no consensus on the use of a safe method that preserves the physical properties of the appliance. This study aimed to investigate the effect of using hydrochloric acid (10%, for removal of mineral deposits) and sodium hypochlorite (5.25%, to remove organic matter and discolorations) on surface hardness and roughness of self-cure orthodontic acrylic resins.

This cross-sectional laboratory study was conducted in the fall of 2017 at Isfahan University of Medical science and Isfahan University of Technology. In this study two orthodontic acrylic resins (Orthocryl® and Acropars®) were used. Eighty samples (12×10×3 mm) from each one were fabricated and divided into four groups (n = 20). Group 1: 15 minutes immersion in household cleaner liquid (Hydrochloric acid, 10%) followed by15 minutes immersion in household bleach liquid (Sodium Hypochlorite, 5.25%). In group 2, immersions were repeated just like group two times and in group 3, were done three times. Group 4 was as control and had no immersion. The surface hardness and roughness of samples were measured. Data were analyzed with Two-Way ANOVA and the significance level was set at 0.05.

The number of immersion procedures did not significantly affect the surface hardness (p value = 0.958) and surface roughness (p value = 0.657) in the different study groups. There was no significant difference in the surface hardness between the two acrylic resin brands (p value = 0.077); however, Acropars acrylic resin samples exhibited significantly higher surface roughness compared to the Orthocryl acrylic resin samples (p value < 0.001).

15 minutes of immersion in 10% HCl, followed by 15 minutes of immersion in 5.25% NaOCl and repetition of the procedure three times did not significantly affect the surface hardness and roughness of self-cured acrylic resins.