The Effects of Different Chemical Disinfectants on the Strength, Surface, and Color Properties of Conventional and 3D-Printed Fabricated Denture Base Materials

Objectives: The disinfection of fabricated prostheses is crucial to prevent cross-infection between dental laboratories and clinics. However, there is a lack of information about the effects of chemical disinfection on 3D-printed denture base resins. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different disinfectants on the flexural strength, elastic modulus, micro-hardness, surface roughness (Ra), and change in color of 3D-printed and conventional heat-polymerized (HP) denture base resins (DBRs). Methods: A total of 240 specimens (80 bar-shaped (64 × 10 × 3.3 mm) and 160 disk-shaped (10 × 2 mm)) were made from HP and 3D-printed DBRs. For each resin, the specimens were divided into four groups (n = 10) according to the disinfectant solution. One remained in water without disinfection as a control group, while the other three groups were disinfected using 1% sodium hypochlorite, 2% glutaraldehyde, or 10% Micro 10+ for 30 min. The flexural strength, elastic modulus, micro-hardness, Ra, and color change were measured. The collected data were statistically analyzed using a two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test (α = 0.05). Results: A significant decrease in flexural strength, elastic modulus, and hardness was found with sodium hypochlorite (p < 0.05). When comparing the resins per solution, the 3D-printed resin showed a significant decrease in flexural strength, elastic modulus, and hardness compared with PMMA (p < 0.001), while no change was found in the Ra of both resins with all disinfectants (p > 0.05). Disinfecting with sodium hypochlorite resulted in a significant increase in color change for both resins (p < 0.05); however, all the changes were within clinically acceptable limits. Sodium hypochlorite showed the highest color change, while 2% glutaraldehyde and 10% Micro 10+ showed no significant changes in the tested properties (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Neither resin showed a change in surface roughness with immersion in disinfectants. Sodium hypochlorite had an adverse effect on the flexural properties, hardness, and change in color of the PMMA and 3D-printed DBRs, while the other disinfectants had no effect on the tested properties.