Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability of elastomer through detail reproduction and its dimensional stability (DS) after disinfection with 0.2% chloramine-T.
Materials and methods: The elastomeric impression dental materials used in this study were polydimethylsiloxane (Oranwash L), polyvinyl siloxane (Express), polysulfide (Permlastic), and polyether (Impregum Soft). The entire press procedure was performed on a matrix in accordance with the ISO 4823. Detail reproduction was analyzed using an optical microscope (Stereozoom Microscope) over the 20-μm line with 25 mm of length at a magnification of ×4. DS was measured using an optical microscope (Scanning Tunneling Microscope) by subtracting the distance between the lines X and X' over the 20-μm line on the matrix (DM) from the distance between the lines on the impression material (DI) divided by DM and multiplied by 100 establishing the equation: DS = ([DI - DM]/DM) ×100; then, 100% was added to the results of the equation. The detail reproduction values were subsequently subjected to descriptive analysis by percentage (%), and the DS values (%) were submitted to Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, two-way ANOVA (material × disinfectant), and Tukey's test (α = 0.05).
Results: All elastomeric impression materials showed 100% of detail reproduction, regardless of the disinfection procedure. Polysulfide (not disinfected) and polysulfide and polydimethylsiloxane (after disinfection with 0.2% chloramine-T) showed the smaller mean values of DS.
Conclusion: According to the stability properties analyzed, chloramine-T can be used for disinfection of elastomer molds.
Keywords: Detail reproduction; dimensional stability; disinfectant solution; elastomeric impression materials.