Effect of deep-freezing on some properties of acrylic resin

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of freezing the acrylic resin polymer/monomer dough mix on a range of properties of the polymerized denture base material. Powder and liquid of acrylic resin were mixed and at the dough stage transferred to a deep freezer and frozen for periods of 24 h, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. At the end of the storage time, sufficient dough was removed, thawed, packed, and polymerized, and specimens were prepared from the polymerized plates. A control series was prepared from dough which had followed conventional mixing and packing procedures without freezing. The strength properties, hardness, and flash thickness were examined. Statistical analysis was carried out using ANOVA (one-way and two-way) with multiple range tests. The flexural strength was significantly (p=0.03) increased and the impact strength, hardness, and flash thickness were not affected by freezing the material during the dough stage. The flexural modulus was significantly (p=0.0001) reduced when the storage time in the freezer was increased to 3 months. Six months' frozen material proved to be unpackable. It was concluded that the acrylic resin polymer/monomer dough mix can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month without any statistically significant effect on the properties of the polymerized denture base material.