Abstract: Objective: To investigate the cytotoxicity of three commercial denture adhesives. Methods: The cytotoxic effects of three denture adhesive eluates with different concentrations on primary human oral keratinocytes(HOKs), fibroblasts (HOFs) and permanent mouse fibroblasts cell lines (L929) were tested using MTT assay. Results: Three tested denture adhesives showed cytotoxicity to primary HOKs(levels 1 to 2) and HOFs( level 1), whereas none of three was toxic to L929 cells. Higher concentrations of adhesive eluates generally showed significantly stronger inhibitory effects than the lower ones. Conclusion: Denture adhesives are toxic to the primary HOKs and HOFs cultures, whereas non-toxic to L929 cells. The results suggest that primary human oral mucosal cells may provide more valuable information in toxicity screening of denture adhesives.

Key words: Denture adhesive , Primary human oral mucosal cells , MTT assay , Cytotoxicity