Nano Biomedicine
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Effect of Different Blasting Pressures on Agar-particle Cleaning of Denture Surfaces

Tatsushi NAITO1, Akiko MIYAKE2, Satoshi KOMASA3, Yuichiro TASHIRO1, Hideaki SATO4, Takuya MINO1, and Kenji MAEKAWA1


1Department of Removable Prosthodontics and Occlusion, School of Dentistry,
2Department of Oral Health Engineering, Faculty of Health Sciences,
3Department of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences,
Osaka Dental University, Osaka, Japan
4Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering,
Tokyo City University, Tokyo, Japan
Nano Biomed 2025; 17(2): 107-115, (Dec 30, Nano Biomedicine)
Synopsis
This study investigated the cleaning efficacy and optimal blasting pressure of agar particles when used to clean polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) denture surfaces. PMMA discs coated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a simulated contaminant were cleaned using a sandblaster with agar particles which are micro-sized particles at five different pressures (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 MPa). Stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to observe surface changes. Elemental analysis, arithmetic mean surface roughness (Ra), and cross-sectional profiles were also evaluated. Residual BSA was clearly observed at 0.1 and 0.2 MPa, whereas no residue remained at ≥0.3 MPa. However, at 0.4 and 0.5 MPa, flaws distinct from polishing marks were detected. Ele-mental analysis revealed nitrogen (indicative of BSA) at 0.1 and 0.2 MPa but not at higher pressures. Ra increased significantly at all pressures except 0.3 MPa, and cross-sectional curves showed no changes at 0.3 and 0.4 MPa. These findings indicated that agar particle blasting at 0.3 MPa ef-fectively removes contaminants without damaging the PMMA surface, suggesting its potential as a safe and effective novel denture-cleaning method.

Key words: denture, blasting, cleaning, agar
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DOI: 10.11344/nano.17.107

Naito T, Miyake A, Komasa S, Tashiro Y, Sato H, Mino T, Maekawa K. Effect of different blasting pressures on agar-particle cleaning of denture surfaces. Nano Biomed 2025; 17: 107-115.