Development of a new self-cleaning denture base material using titanium apatite

Appropriate self-cleaning denture base materials should be developed to prevent denture stomatitis and aspiration pneumonia in older patients and improve their quality of life. We aimed to develop a new denture base material by introducing titanium apatite, an antibacterial material, into a conventional denture base resin. We added titanium apatite (TiHA) during polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) to PMMA. The control group was composed of 0% TiHA, and the experimental groups were composed of 3%, 6%, and 9% TiHA. Surface analysis revealed the distribution of the TiHA crystals on the PMMA surface in the experimental group. We found that the higher the TiHA concentration, the more bacterial growth was suppressed. No significant reduction in the compressive strength was observed. In conclusion, TiHA is a useful material in denture base resin since it is resistant to surface contamination and bacterial adhesion.