Apparatus for the mechanical testing of maxillofacial prosthetic adhesives.

The use of adhesives to retain facial prosthesis remains controversial. This controversy arises in part from a lack of information on the biomechanical performance of this group of materials. No standard exists for maxillofacial prosthetic adhesives. This study describes the rationale for and design of an apparatus for testing maxillofacial and other skin adhesives. The apparatus provides for tensile, torsion, and combined tensile-torsion tests in a hard machine test. The results of the calibration studies of the apparatus are discussed.