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. 2022 Jan 30;15(3):1082.
doi: 10.3390/ma15031082.

Evaluation of Breaking Force of Different Suture Materials Used in Dentistry: An In Vitro Mechanical Comparison

Mattia Manfredini  1 , Susanna Ferrario  1 , Paola Beretta  1 , Davide Farronato  2 , Pier Paolo Poli  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of Breaking Force of Different Suture Materials Used in Dentistry: An In Vitro Mechanical Comparison

Mattia Manfredini et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

The success of surgical procedures is strictly related to the biomechanical properties of the suture. Mechanical comparisons are scarcely reported in the literature, so the purpose of the present study was to evaluate and compare the mechanical behavior of different sutures commonly used in oral surgery in terms of traction resistance. Sutures made of eight different materials were analyzed: silk (S), polyglycolide-co-caprolactone (PGCL), polypropylene (PP), rapid polyglycolide (rPGA), standard polyglycolide (PGA), polyamide (PA), polyester (PE), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). For each material, three different sizes were tested: 3-0, 4-0, and 5-0. The breaking force of each suture was assessed with a uniaxial testing machine after being immersed in artificial saliva at 37 °C. The outcomes analyzed were the breaking force, the needle-thread detachment breaking-point and the node response after forward-reverse-forward (FRF) tying when subjected to a tensile force. The 3-0 rPGA provided the maximum resistance, while the lowest value was recorded for the 5-0 PGCL. In general, 3-0 and 4-0 gauges showed non-statistically significant differences in terms of needle-thread detachment. The highest needle-thread detachment was found for the 3-0 PGA, whereas the lowest value was observed for the 5-0 PGCL. After tying the knot with an FRF configuration, the thread that showed the highest resistance to tension was the 3/0 silk, while the thread with the lowest resistance was the 5/0 silk. These data should be considered so that the operator is aware of as many aspects as possible on the behavior of various materials to ensure successful healing.

Keywords: breaking force; oral surgery; suture materials; wound healing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experiment procedure: thread is attached to a Castroviejo, which is attached to the mobile clamp of the machine (a); the lower head of the thread is held in place by a narrow copper plate in the static clamp of the machine (b).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Bar chart of the Breaking Force results (N).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bar chart of the needle–thread breaking point tests results (N).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Bar chart of the knot resistance tests results (N).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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