Heat-activated Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) is the most common and widely accepted denture base material. Two important drawbacks of the material are the development of denture stomatitis and the high incidence of fracture of dentures. Denture stomatitis is a common, multifactorial infectious, inflammatory, and hyperplastic condition that is primarily caused by poor oral and denture hygiene, and full-time, mainly night-time, denture wear, bringing about the emergence of advanced Candida-containing polymicrobial biofilms near the host's mucosal tissues. Most complete denture wearers are old and have age-related disabilities that restrict proper cleaning of the surface of the dentures. This leads to the colonization of microorganisms that promote an inflammatory reaction in the oral mucosa leading to the development of denture stomatitis. The addition of silver nanoparticles (AgNps) is an accepted method of preventing denture stomatitis but frequent fractures of dentures are reported due to a reduction in flexural strength. The conventional method of polymerization of the heat cure PMMA denture base is done by processing it in a water bath for several hours. The researcher used an autoclave to achieve polymerization instead of a water bath in the terminal boiling stage. A comparison of the flexural strength of the denture base following the conventional water bath method and an autoclave method was done. The observed data were coded, tabulated, and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software. Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and a Mann-Whitney U post hoc test were applied to test statistical significance between groups. The level of significance was set at p<0.05. The statistical analysis proved that the flexural strength of the Heat-activated polymethyl methacrylate denture base was increased when processed by the autoclave method of terminal boiling compared to the conventional method.

Kala Sukumaran completed BDS and MDS from Government Dental College Thiruvananthapuram and joined as a faculty member of prosthodontics in the Medical Education Service of Kerala in 2005. Working as associate professor and postgraduate guide at Kerala University of Health Sciences, India. Published several articles and presented papers at national and international level. Completed training in oral implantology and laser dentistry at DY Patil University School of Dentistry in 2019. Presently undergoing training in Implantology under the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.