Nanoparticles in Enhancing Mechanical Properties of Silicone for Maxillofacial Rehabilitation - A Review

BACKGROUND Facial prostheses are made to restore a missing part of the face, so they must be made from a material that mimics the surrounding soft tissues and skin in properties. The studies nowadays show that the maxillofacial silicone elastomer is widely used for this purpose because of its biocompatibility, can be easily colored by intrinsic or extrinsic coloration, and good elasticity. The drop points of the pure silicone elastomers are the mechanical properties such as the tear strength and the tensile strength, which need to be improved to be clinically applicable. This improvement may be done by the addition of some types of Nano-oxide fillers. The objective of the study was to review the results of previous studies that evaluated the effect of adding different types of nanoparticles on improving the silicone maxillofacial rehabilitation material mechanical properties. METHODS Search Methods: An electronic search in PubMed/Medline was used to find applicable papers that were published in English before September 2022. Selection Criteria: By examining the title, abstract, and full text of the articles to ensure that they fit the inclusion criteria, the relevance of the articles was confirmed. The term was chosen based on the following: silicone elastomer as the population, nanoparticles as the intervention, and silicone elastomer with and without nanoparticle reinforcement as the comparison (mechanical properties). Data Collection: Data regarding the published articles on the effect of adding nanoparticles to silicone material to enhance its mechanical properties has been collected. RESULTS Out of 27 articles, 18 articles met the requirements for data extraction for review of the results of studies that evaluated the effect of different nanoparticle addition on improving the mechanical properties of the silicone elastomer. Among the essential properties to be considered was that the silicone’s mechanical characteristics were enhanced by the incorporation of various nanoparticles at concentrations ranging from 1% to 3%. CONCLUSIONS An ideal maxillofacial silicone that exhibits perfect mechanical properties in a variety of human and environmental aging situations hasn't yet been found.