Effect of Hypochlorous Acid on Physical Properties of Zinc Oxide -Eugenol Impression Paste

Background: When dental impression materials come into contact with the patient’s saliva, blood, or plaque, they can become immediately contaminated with potentially harmful germs.This could result in cross-contamination. The spread of infection can be prevented through disinfection of the impression materials. However, the disinfection solution may change the properties of the dental impression materials. Objective: The goal of this research is to find out how the detail reproduction and linear dimensional stability of zinc oxide-eugenol (ZOE) impression material change after being immersed in hypochlorous acid (100 ppm, 200 ppm, 400 ppm) and 2% glutaraldehyde for 10 minutes. Materials and Methods: Fifty zinc oxide-eugenol impression material specimens were randomly classified into five groups, with ten specimens per group. A modified mold was made in accordance with ISO 4823:2015. The specimens were immersed in hypochlorous acid (100 ppm, 200 ppm, 400 ppm) and 2% glutaraldehyde for 10 minutes. Detail reproduction was evaluated using a Dino-Lite microscope, and dimensional stability was assessed using the ImageJ computer program. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism version 10. One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the data, with a probability value (P) greater than 0.05 indicating statistical insignificance. Result: glutaraldehyde had no effect on the detail reproduction and linear dimensional stability of zinc oxide-eugenol impression paste compared to the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Considering the limitations of this investigation, hypochlorous acid appears to be an effective disinfectant for zinc oxide-eugenol impression paste without affecting surface details and dimensional stability.