Abstract
To develop an acrylic resin with reduced residual monomer, the effects of monomer and polymer components in resins on residual monomer were examined using methyl methacrylate (MMA) and ethyl methacrylate (EMA) monomers and fluoropolymer, homopolymers of MMA and EMA as well as their copolymer. Residual monomer in MMA-based light-curing type resin decreased with the increase in the amount of fluoropolymer added. This was supposed to be correlated with lower glass transition temperature or lower molecular weight of the polymer formed by polymerization of MMA during curing. The use of EMA instead of the usual MMA monomer resulted in significant decrease in residual monomer and improved the handling property. A resin composed of EMA and mixture of homopolymer of MMA and EMA appears worth further evaluation as a relining material or denture base material with improved safety and handling property.
