Themoplastic Chlorinated Polyethylene for Maxillofacial Prostheses

Abstract

Portions of the face such as ears, noses, eyes and chins are most often lost due to skin cancers, with trauma and birth defects secondary in incidence. Such devastating losses can be replaced by the use of elastomeric materials by specially trained prosthodontists to make removable prostheses for rehabilitation. Because conventional silicone rubbers often fray, tear, or absorb coloring agents, multiple prostheses are usually made. Such thermosetting materials allow for few corrections after molding; chlorinated polyethylene has been chosen for further development because of its excellent mechanical properties, coloring ability, and the possibility of repeated molding until perfection is achieved. Gypsum molds have been found to be useful when heated in a steam autoclave for 30 minutes. Coloring has been achieved by applying pigment or fibers to the CPE surface and laminating beneath a thin sheet of CPE, followed by cycling in the autoclave once more. Clinical trials are now underway, alternating CPE prostheses with identically-shaped ones made from medical-grade silicone rubbers.