Performance of polyether ether ketone (peek) for dental applications: surface roughness and color stability

Abstract

Polymeric materials are inevitably used in dental applications. Dental prostheses are cleaned during their service life, and surface roughness is an important criterion for these polymeric materials. In this study, the effect of different denture cleaning methods on the surface roughness and color stability of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) dental materials was studied. Seventy disk-shaped (10 x 3 mm) specimens were fabricated and divided into seven groups (n = 10) according to the cleaning procedure. One of these groups subjected to distilled water was the control group. Other three groups were subjected to daily cleansing with denture cleaners (5% sodium hypochlorite, alkaline peroxide, chlorhexidine gluconate solution) and the other three groups were subjected to mechanical cleaning with a toothbrush with three different dentifrices (toothpaste, soap, and denture cleansing gel). The surface roughness values (R-a) were measured with a profilometer before (R(a)0) and after cleaning procedures for 270 days (R(a)1). CIELab color parameters of each specimen were measured with a spectrophotometer before and after 7 days of storage in a coffee solution. Color differences were calculated, and data were statistically analyzed with one-way ANOVA and the Tukey HSD test (alpha = .05). For all test groups, R(a)0 and R(a)1 values were lower than the plaque accumulation threshold level (PATL) of 0.200 mu m. For both R-a and Delta E-00 values, the effect of the cleaning method was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Also, no significant difference was observed for R(a)0, R(a)1, and Delta E-00 values between the test groups (P > .05). It was concluded that considering the color stability and surface roughness, many cleaning procedures can be used safely for PEEK polymers.