Conventional silicone-based materials for facial prostheses are normally debubblized after hand-mixing. However, this step requires sensitive techniques and special instruments. The incorporation of bubbles in a facial prosthesis affects the surface color and texture, and morphological reproducibility. Therefore, it is important to investigate the effects of mixing and debubblizing methods on silicone materials in order to control the quality of facial prostheses.
To determine a proper mixing method for the material, the effects of hand-mixing, use of a silicone dispenser as well as presence or absence of debubblizing procedures on bubble incorporation into the polymerized materials were examined in this study.
As experimental silicone materials for facial prostheses, KRS-10 （hand-mixing type, GC） and KRS-C1 （dispenser type, GC） were used. Three groups consisting of KRS-10 without debubblizing, KRS-10 with debubblizing and KRS-C1 without debubblizing were tested. As a result, KRS-C1 presented the least amount of bubble incorporation, followed by KRS-10 with debubblizing, and KRS-10 without debubblizing.
The use of a dispenser for mixing silicone is simple and minimizes the incorporation of bubbles. However, customized color matching by experienced clinicians requires hand-mixing and debubblizing for sites of high esthetic importance. Further improvements in both hand mixing with debubblizing and a method using a dispenser are required.
