Influence of a V-shaped palatal vault on denture base materials’ characteristics: a finite element analysis Amani R. Moussa a , Hisham S. El-Gabry a , Mohamed M. El-Zawahry a and Mohamed I. El-Anwar b Objectives In this study, the influence of a V-shaped palatal vault on the characteristics of denture base materials was studied. Materials and methods A finite element model was especially developed for this study with an average denture base thicknesses of 2 mm. Three different denture base materials were investigated under 100 N vertical and oblique loading. A linear static analysis was carried out. Results Finite element analysis showed a very low level of bone Von Mises stress under vertical loading, which means that three denture base materials and mucosa distributed the applied load and absorbed its energy perfectly, whereas mucosa was negligibly affected by changing denture base material and showed low/safe levels of stresses. Conclusion The V-shaped palatal vault affects denture base materials that, with a reduction in rigidity, will increase the mucosa-induced stress levels. Thus, denture base material selection requires a compromise between flexibility and durability. Med Res J 15:76–81  c 2016 Medical Research Journal. Medical Research Journal 2016, 15:76–81 Keywords: denture base materials, finite element analysis, V-shaped palatal vault Departments of a Prosthodontics and b Mechanical Engineering, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt Correspondence to Mohamed M. El-Zawahry, Department of Prosthodontics, National Research Centre, El-Bohouth Street, Dokki, PO Box 12622, Cairo, Egypt Tel: + 20 100 164 0759; e-mail: mohamed_zawahry@yahoo.com Received 17 November 2016 accepted 8 December 2016 Introduction Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resins have been the predominant denture base material used since 1937. This could be because of the physical and the esthetics properties of PMMA, as well as the material’s availability, reasonable cost, and ease of manipulation [1–5]. Despite its popularity, PMMA resin is far from ideal, where inferior mechanical properties make it more prone to fracture during clinical service [6]. Many attempts have therefore been made to improve the mechanical properties of PMMA resins through chemical modification of PMMA by the addition of various polymers, reinforcement of PMMA with fibers [7], or development of alternative base materials. Meanwhile, advances in polymer science have led to the development of new molding and activation techniques, such as injection-molding, light-cured, and microwave-cured resins [6,8–10]. Recently, the evolution and advancement of dental thermoplastic resins have led to the production of alternative polymeric materials such as thermoplastic PMMA, polyamide (nylon), and polyacetal [11,12]. Thermoplastic PMMA is fully polymerized acrylate, based on methyl methacrylate, with a special blend of polymers to increase its impact strength. It is commonly used in complete denture bases. Although it is not elastic, its flexibility makes it practically unbreakable. The material is characterized by long-term stability, a dense Fig. 1 (a) (b) (c) (a) Edentulous maxilla. (b) Cast. (c) Maxillary denture. 76 Original article 2090-6242  c 2016 Medical Research Journal DOI: 10.1097/01.MJX.0000511357.41215.b3 Copyright r 2016 Medical Research Journal. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.