1

GYPSUM PRODUCTS FOR

DENTAL CAST

By
Dr. Asad Farooq
BDS, MDS, Cont. (Dental Materials)
Dow University Of Health Sciences.

2
 CONTENTS

● Introduction
● Types of gypsum products
● Requirements of dental cast materials
● Composition
● Manipulation
● Setting characteristics
● Setting reaction

3
 INTRODUCTION
● Gypsum is a naturally occurring, white powdery mineral.

● Its chemical name is Calcium sulphate dihydrate. CaSO4.2H2O

● Gypsum products used in dentistry are based on calcium sulphate

hemihydrate. CaSO4.½ H2O

4
 TYPES OF GYPSUM PRODUCTS
● The ISO Standard identifies five types of gypsum materials
as follows:
1. Type I dental plaster, impression
2. Type II dental plaster, model
3. Type III dental stone, die, model
4. Type IV dental stone, die, high strength, low expansion
5. Type V dental stone, die, high strength, high expansion

5
 TYPES OF GYPSUM PRODUCTS
Cont…
● These types have identical chemical formulas of calcium
sulfate hemihydrate, CaSO4.½ H2O.

● They possess different physical properties, which makes

each of them suitable for a different purpose.

6
 MODEL

A Positive Likeness Of An Object Or It’s A Positive Replica

Of Several Teeth
7
 DIE

A reproduction of a prepared tooth made from a gypsum

product or it’s a positive replica of single tooth.
8
REQUIREMENTS OF DENTAL CAST
MATERIALS

● It should be dimensionally stable.

● It should have adequate mechanical properties.

● The material should ideally be fluid at the time it is poured into the
impression so that the fine details can be recorded.

● The set material should be sufficiently strong to resist accidental

fracture.

9
 REQUIREMENTS CONT..
● The set material should be hard enough to resist abrasion during
carving of the wax pattern.

● It should be compatible with all the other materials with which

it will come into contact.

● It should give a good colour contrast with various waxes which

are often used to produce wax patterns.

10
 COMPOSITION
● Gypsum products are formed by driving off part of the water of
crystallization from gypsum to form calcium sulphate hemihydrate.

Gypsum → Gypsum product + water

2CaSO4.2H2O → (CaSO4)2.H2O + 3H2O
Calcium sulphate Calcium sulphate
dihydrate hemihydrate
OR

11
 COMPOSITION Cont…
● After heat treatment or Calcination following types are
produced;

1.Dental plaster
➢ Gypsum is heated to a temperature of about 120°C

2.Hydrocal (dental stone)

➢ If gypsum is dehydrated under pressure & in the presence of
water vapor at about 125°C, the product is called hydrocal.

3.Densite (high strength dental stones Type 4 & 5 )

➢ High strength dental stones are manufactured with a high density
raw material called densite.
12
 COMPOSITION Cont…

13
 1:DENTAL PLASTER (PLASTER OF
PARIS)
● Plaster is produced by a process known as Calcination.

● Calcination is of two types Wet and Dry.

● Gypsum is heated to a temperature of about 120°C.

● This produces irregular, porous particles which are sometimes

referred to as β- hemihydrates particles.

● Overheating the gypsum may cause further loss of water to form

calcium sulphate anhydrite (CaSO4).

● Manufacturers may add accelerators & retarders in dental plaster.

14
 1:DENTAL PLASTER (PLASTER OF
PARIS)
■ Impression plaster (Type I) *seldom used*
■ Model plaster (Type II): used for

■ Diagnostic cast
■ Articulation of stone cast
■ Flasking procedure for acrylic dentures.

15
 DENTAL PLASTER

16
 2: DENTAL STONE/HYDROCAL
● It may be produced by one of two methods;

1.Gypsum is heated to about 125°C under steam pressure in an

autoclave.
● The hemihydrate particles produced are more regular & less
porous.
● The particles produced are referred to as α hemihydrate.

2.Gypsum may be boiled in a solution of a salt such as CaCl2.

● The particles produced are less porous as compared with that
produced by autoclave.

● Manufacturers may add chemical accelerators & retarders.

17
 2: DENTAL STONE
■ Dental stone (Type III): used for making

■ Full or partial denture models

■ Orthodontic models
■ Flasking procedure for acrylic dentures (teeth end)

It requires less water,

stronger than plaster.

18
 2: DENTAL STONE / Densite
■ Dental stone, high strength low expansion (Type IV):
■ Die stone used in fabricating wax patterns of cast restorations
(crown &bridge)
■ Implants
■ Often colored pink or green
■ Almost 2 times stronger than type III stone.

19
 2: DENTAL STONE / Densite

■ High strength, high expansion dental stone (Type V)

■ Colored blue or green

■ Most costly of all gypsum materials
■ Lowest W:P ratio, higher compressive strength

20
 DENTAL STONE

21
 MANIPULATION
● Plaster & stone powders are mixed with water to produce a
workable mix.

● For dental stone, a ratio of about 0.3 is required to produce a

workable mix.

● For dental plaster a higher W/P ratio of 0.55 is required.

● Theoretical ratio is 0.186.

22
 MANIPULATION
● Considerable quantities of air may be incorporated during
mixing, this may lead to porosity within the set material.

● Air porosity may be reduced either by vibrating the mix of

plaster or stone or by mixing the material under vacuum.

● For hand mixing a clean, scratch free rubber or plastic bowl is

normally recommended.

23
 MANIPULATION
■ Variations in W:P ratio affect the set materials
properties such as strength and accuracy.

■ Too much water the mix will be runny, the model will
be weaker.
■ Too little water difficult to mix, chance to get bubbles
inside the mixture.

24
 SETTING CHARACTERISTICS
FLUIDITY:
● It is defined as the average of the major & minor diameters of the
slumped material.
● The fluidity of dental gypsum products is measured by one of the
two methods.

For type 1 & 2 materials a slump test is recommended in which a

known volume of material is allowed to slump onto a glass plate at
a time indicated by the manufacturer as the pouring time ( 2-3
minutes for most materials).

For type 3, 4 & 5 materials a core penetration test is

recommended with the depth of penetration of core falling under a
load for 15 seconds into a known quantity of material is measured
3 minutes after starting to mix powder & water.
25
 SETTING CHARACTERISTICS
Mixing time: the time from the addition of the powder to the water until
the mixing is completed.
● Mechanical mixing of stones & plasters is usually completed in 20-30
seconds.
● Hand spatulation requires at least a minute to obtain a smooth mix.

Working time: the time available to use a workable mix, one that
maintains a uniform consistency to perform one or more tasks.
● Generally, a 3 min working time is adequate.

Setting time: the time that passes from the beginning of mixing until the
material hardens and cools. (exothermic reaction is over).

26
 TESTS FOR INITIAL SET &
SETTING TIME
● Loss of Gloss Test for Initial Set

27
 ● Gillmore Test for Initial Set

● Gillmore Test for Final Setting Time

28
 ● Vicat Test for Setting time

29
 SETTING REACTION
● The setting process begins rapidly after mixing the powder and
water.

● In the first stage water becomes soaked with hemihydrate.

● Dissolved hemihydrate is then rapidly converted to dihydrate.

● Later the solubility limit of dihydrate is immediately exceeded it

begins to crystallize out of the solution.

30
 SETTING REACTION
● Crystals of dihydrate are spherulitic in nature, (needle like
clusters are called spherulites).

● These crystals grow from specific sites called nuclei of

crystallization.

● Nuclei of crystallization: These may be small particles of

impurity, such as unconverted gypsum crystals, within the
hemihydrate powder.

31
 SETTING REACTION
● The setting reaction of gypsum products is exothermic, the
maximum temperature being reached during the stage when
final hardening occurs.

● Another physical change which accompanies setting is a

small expansion caused by outward thrust of growing
crystals.

32
 THE END

33