Flexural properties of denture base polymers.

Heat-polymerized denture base materials with the cross-linking agent 1,4-BDMA and with different amounts of the cross-linking agent EGDMA have similar flexural properties. At the relatively low loading rate of 2 N/minute all the heat-polymerized denture base materials investigated have better flexural properties than the autopolymerized pour- and dough-type materials. The autopolymerized materials with the cross-linking agent 1,4-BDMA have flexural properties intermediate to the heat-polymerized and the autopolymerized resins with the cross-linking agent EGDMA. The various autopolymerized resins behave differently, probably due to varying amounts of pendant methacrylate groups. Due to so-called solvent crazing, denture base polymers have poorer flexural properties when tested in water than in air.