Effectiveness of Disinfectants on Antimicrobial and Physical Properties of Dental Impression Materials

Abstract

Alginate harbors three times more microorganisms than silicone impression material. Chemical disinfection by glutaraldehyde-based disinfectant was effective in eliminating all microbial forms for both alginate and silicone without modifying the dimensional stability. Alcohol-based disinfectants, however, reduced the alginate shrinkage during the first 90 minutes of setting. The current studies also propose another method to report the surface area based on accurate estimation by 3D image analysis.