New Method for Breaking High Strength Prestress Cable, MLR-97-6, 1997

A new method was developed for breaking high strength prestressed cable. The old method used an aluminum oxide grit packed into a special gripping jaw. The new method uses aluminum shims wrapped around the cable and then is gripped with a V-grip. The new method gives nearly 100% "good breaks" on the cable compared to approximately 10% good breaks with the old method. In addition, the new cable breaking method gives higher ultimate tensile strengths, is more reproducible, is quicker, cleaner and easier on equipment.

The effect of three or six years of denosumab exposure in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis: results from the FREEDOM extension.

CONTEXT: The Fracture Reduction Evaluation of Denosumab in Osteoporosis Every 6 Months (FREEDOM) extension is evaluating the long-term efficacy and safety of denosumab for up to 10 years. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to report results from the first 3 years of the extension, representing up to 6 years of denosumab exposure. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a multicenter, international, open-label study of 4550 women. INTERVENTION: Women from the FREEDOM denosumab group received 3 more years of denosumab for a total of 6 years (long-term) and women from the FREEDOM placebo group received 3 years of denosumab (crossover). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Bone turnover markers (BTMs), bone mineral density (BMD), fracture, and safety data are reported. RESULTS: Reductions in BTMs were maintained (long-term) or achieved rapidly (crossover) after denosumab administration. In the long-term group, BMD further increased for cumulative 6-year gains of 15.2% (lumbar spine) and 7.5% (total hip). During the first 3 years of denosumab treatment, the crossover group had significant gains in lumbar spine (9.4%) and total hip (4.8%) BMD, similar to the long-term group during the 3-year FREEDOM trial. In the long-term group, fracture incidences remained low and below the rates projected for a virtual placebo cohort. In the crossover group, 3-year incidences of new vertebral and nonvertebral fractures were similar to those of the FREEDOM denosumab group. Incidence rates of adverse events did not increase over time. Six participants had events of osteonecrosis of the jaw confirmed by adjudication. One participant had a fracture adjudicated as consistent with atypical femoral fracture. CONCLUSION: Denosumab treatment for 6 years remained well tolerated, maintained reduced bone turnover, and continued to increase BMD. Fracture incidence remained low.

New Method for Breaking High Strength Prestress Cable, MLR-97-6, 1997

A new method was developed for breaking high strength prestressed cable. The old method used an aluminum oxide grit packed into a special gripping jaw. The new method uses aluminum shims wrapped around the cable and then is gripped with a V-grip. The new method gives nearly 100% "good breaks" on the cable compared to approximately 10% good breaks with the old method. In addition, the new cable breaking method gives higher ultimate tensile strengths, is more reproducible, is quicker, cleaner and easier on equipment.

Behavioural queueing : cellular automata and a laboratory experiment

Dans cette thèse, nous étudions les aspects comportementaux d'agents qui interagissent dans des systèmes de files d'attente à l'aide de modèles de simulation et de méthodologies expérimentales. Chaque période les clients doivent choisir un prestataire de servivce. L'objectif est d'analyser l'impact des décisions des clients et des prestataires sur la formation des files d'attente. Dans un premier cas nous considérons des clients ayant un certain degré d'aversion au risque. Sur la base de leur perception de l'attente moyenne et de la variabilité de cette attente, ils forment une estimation de la limite supérieure de l'attente chez chacun des prestataires. Chaque période, ils choisissent le prestataire pour lequel cette estimation est la plus basse. Nos résultats indiquent qu'il n'y a pas de relation monotone entre le degré d'aversion au risque et la performance globale. En effet, une population de clients ayant un degré d'aversion au risque intermédiaire encoure généralement une attente moyenne plus élevée qu'une population d'agents indifférents au risque ou très averses au risque. Ensuite, nous incorporons les décisions des prestataires en leur permettant d'ajuster leur capacité de service sur la base de leur perception de la fréquence moyenne d'arrivées. Les résultats montrent que le comportement des clients et les décisions des prestataires présentent une forte "dépendance au sentier". En outre, nous montrons que les décisions des prestataires font converger l'attente moyenne pondérée vers l'attente de référence du marché. Finalement, une expérience de laboratoire dans laquelle des sujets jouent le rôle de prestataire de service nous a permis de conclure que les délais d'installation et de démantèlement de capacité affectent de manière significative la performance et les décisions des sujets. En particulier, les décisions du prestataire, sont influencées par ses commandes en carnet, sa capacité de service actuellement disponible et les décisions d'ajustement de capacité qu'il a prises, mais pas encore implémentées. - Queuing is a fact of life that we witness daily. We all have had the experience of waiting in line for some reason and we also know that it is an annoying situation. As the adage says "time is money"; this is perhaps the best way of stating what queuing problems mean for customers. Human beings are not very tolerant, but they are even less so when having to wait in line for service. Banks, roads, post offices and restaurants are just some examples where people must wait for service. Studies of queuing phenomena have typically addressed the optimisation of performance measures (e.g. average waiting time, queue length and server utilisation rates) and the analysis of equilibrium solutions. The individual behaviour of the agents involved in queueing systems and their decision making process have received little attention. Although this work has been useful to improve the efficiency of many queueing systems, or to design new processes in social and physical systems, it has only provided us with a limited ability to explain the behaviour observed in many real queues. In this dissertation we differ from this traditional research by analysing how the agents involved in the system make decisions instead of focusing on optimising performance measures or analysing an equilibrium solution. This dissertation builds on and extends the framework proposed by van Ackere and Larsen (2004) and van Ackere et al. (2010). We focus on studying behavioural aspects in queueing systems and incorporate this still underdeveloped framework into the operations management field. In the first chapter of this thesis we provide a general introduction to the area, as well as an overview of the results. In Chapters 2 and 3, we use Cellular Automata (CA) to model service systems where captive interacting customers must decide each period which facility to join for service. They base this decision on their expectations of sojourn times. Each period, customers use new information (their most recent experience and that of their best performing neighbour) to form expectations of sojourn time at the different facilities. Customers update their expectations using an adaptive expectations process to combine their memory and their new information. We label "conservative" those customers who give more weight to their memory than to the xiv Summary new information. In contrast, when they give more weight to new information, we call them "reactive". In Chapter 2, we consider customers with different degree of risk-aversion who take into account uncertainty. They choose which facility to join based on an estimated upper-bound of the sojourn time which they compute using their perceptions of the average sojourn time and the level of uncertainty. We assume the same exogenous service capacity for all facilities, which remains constant throughout. We first analyse the collective behaviour generated by the customers' decisions. We show that the system achieves low weighted average sojourn times when the collective behaviour results in neighbourhoods of customers loyal to a facility and the customers are approximately equally split among all facilities. The lowest weighted average sojourn time is achieved when exactly the same number of customers patronises each facility, implying that they do not wish to switch facility. In this case, the system has achieved the Nash equilibrium. We show that there is a non-monotonic relationship between the degree of risk-aversion and system performance. Customers with an intermediate degree of riskaversion typically achieve higher sojourn times; in particular they rarely achieve the Nash equilibrium. Risk-neutral customers have the highest probability of achieving the Nash Equilibrium. Chapter 3 considers a service system similar to the previous one but with risk-neutral customers, and relaxes the assumption of exogenous service rates. In this sense, we model a queueing system with endogenous service rates by enabling managers to adjust the service capacity of the facilities. We assume that managers do so based on their perceptions of the arrival rates and use the same principle of adaptive expectations to model these perceptions. We consider service systems in which the managers' decisions take time to be implemented. Managers are characterised by a profile which is determined by the speed at which they update their perceptions, the speed at which they take decisions, and how coherent they are when accounting for their previous decisions still to be implemented when taking their next decision. We find that the managers' decisions exhibit a strong path-dependence: owing to the initial conditions of the model, the facilities of managers with identical profiles can evolve completely differently. In some cases the system becomes "locked-in" into a monopoly or duopoly situation. The competition between managers causes the weighted average sojourn time of the system to converge to the exogenous benchmark value which they use to estimate their desired capacity. Concerning the managers' profile, we found that the more conservative Summary xv a manager is regarding new information, the larger the market share his facility achieves. Additionally, the faster he takes decisions, the higher the probability that he achieves a monopoly position. In Chapter 4 we consider a one-server queueing system with non-captive customers. We carry out an experiment aimed at analysing the way human subjects, taking on the role of the manager, take decisions in a laboratory regarding the capacity of a service facility. We adapt the model proposed by van Ackere et al (2010). This model relaxes the assumption of a captive market and allows current customers to decide whether or not to use the facility. Additionally the facility also has potential customers who currently do not patronise it, but might consider doing so in the future. We identify three groups of subjects whose decisions cause similar behavioural patterns. These groups are labelled: gradual investors, lumpy investors, and random investor. Using an autocorrelation analysis of the subjects' decisions, we illustrate that these decisions are positively correlated to the decisions taken one period early. Subsequently we formulate a heuristic to model the decision rule considered by subjects in the laboratory. We found that this decision rule fits very well for those subjects who gradually adjust capacity, but it does not capture the behaviour of the subjects of the other two groups. In Chapter 5 we summarise the results and provide suggestions for further work. Our main contribution is the use of simulation and experimental methodologies to explain the collective behaviour generated by customers' and managers' decisions in queueing systems as well as the analysis of the individual behaviour of these agents. In this way, we differ from the typical literature related to queueing systems which focuses on optimising performance measures and the analysis of equilibrium solutions. Our work can be seen as a first step towards understanding the interaction between customer behaviour and the capacity adjustment process in queueing systems. This framework is still in its early stages and accordingly there is a large potential for further work that spans several research topics. Interesting extensions to this work include incorporating other characteristics of queueing systems which affect the customers' experience (e.g. balking, reneging and jockeying); providing customers and managers with additional information to take their decisions (e.g. service price, quality, customers' profile); analysing different decision rules and studying other characteristics which determine the profile of customers and managers.

Five years of denosumab exposure in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis: results from the first two years of the FREEDOM extension.

The 3-year FREEDOM trial assessed the efficacy and safety of 60 mg denosumab every 6 months for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Participants who completed the FREEDOM trial were eligible to enter an extension to continue the evaluation of denosumab efficacy and safety for up to 10 years. For the extension results presented here, women from the FREEDOM denosumab group had 2 more years of denosumab treatment (long-term group) and those from the FREEDOM placebo group had 2 years of denosumab exposure (cross-over group). We report results for bone turnover markers (BTMs), bone mineral density (BMD), fracture rates, and safety. A total of 4550 women enrolled in the extension (2343 long-term; 2207 cross-over). Reductions in BTMs were maintained (long-term group) or occurred rapidly (cross-over group) following denosumab administration. In the long-term group, lumbar spine and total hip BMD increased further, resulting in 5-year gains of 13.7% and 7.0%, respectively. In the cross-over group, BMD increased at the lumbar spine (7.7%) and total hip (4.0%) during the 2-year denosumab treatment. Yearly fracture incidences for both groups were below rates observed in the FREEDOM placebo group and below rates projected for a "virtual untreated twin" cohort. Adverse events did not increase with long-term denosumab administration. Two adverse events in the cross-over group were adjudicated as consistent with osteonecrosis of the jaw. Five-year denosumab treatment of women with postmenopausal osteoporosis maintained BTM reduction and increased BMD, and was associated with low fracture rates and a favorable risk/benefit profile.

What impact do systemically administrated bisphosphonates have on oral implant therapy? A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate, analysing the dental literature, whether: * Patients on intravenous (IV) or oral bisphosphonates (BPs) can receive oral implant therapy and what could be the risk of developing bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ)? * Osseointegrated implants could be affected by BP therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A Medline search was conducted and all publications fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria from 1966 until December 2008 were included in the review. Moreover, the Cochrane Data Base of Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and EMBASE (from 1980 to December 2008) were searched for English-language articles published between 1966 and 2008. Literature search was completed by a hand research accessing the references cited in all identified publications. RESULTS: The literature search rendered only one prospective and three retrospective studies. The prospective controlled non-randomized clinical study followed patients with and without BP medication up to 36 months after implant therapy. The patients in the experimental group had been on oral BPs before implant therapy for periods ranging between 1 and 4 years. None of the patients developed BRONJ and implant outcome was not affected by the BP medication. The three selected retrospective studies (two case-controls and one case series) yielded very similar results. All have followed patients on oral BPs after implant therapy, with follow-up ranging between 2 and 4 years. BRONJ was never reported and implant survival rates ranged between 95% and 100%. The literature search on BRONJ including guidelines and recommendations found 59 papers, from which six were retrieved. Among the guidelines, there is a consensus on contraindicating implants in cancer patients under IV-BPs and not contraindicating dental implants in patients under oral-BPs for osteoporosis. CONCLUSIONS: From the analysis of the one prospective and the three retrospective series (217 patients), the placement of an implant may be considered a safe procedure in patients taking oral BPs for <5 years with regard to the occurrence of BRONJ since in these studies no BRONJ has been reported. Moreover, the intake of oral-BPs did not influence short-term (1-4 years) implant survival rates.

Early diagnosis of osteoporosis by means of orthopantomograms and oral x-rays: a systematic review

Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease that is characterized by a generalized reduction of the bone mass. It is the main cause of fractures in elderly women. Bone densitometry is used in the lumbar spine and hip in order to detect osteoporosis in its early stages. Different studies have observed a correlation between the bone mineral density of the jaw (BMD) and that of the lumbar spine and/or hip. On the other hand, there are studies that evaluate the findings in the orthopantomograms and perapical X-rays, correlating them with the early diagnosis of osteoporosis and highlighting the role of the dentist in the early diagnosis of this disease. Materials and methods: A search was carried out in the Medline-Pubmed database in order to identify those articles that deal with the association between the X-ray findings observed in the orthopantomograms and the diagnosis of the osteoporosis, as well as those that deal with the bone mineral density of the jaw. Results: There were 406 articles, and with the limits established, this number was reduced to 21. Almost all of the articles indicate that when examining oral X-rays, it is possible to detect signs indicative of osteoporosis. Discussion: The radiomorphometric indices use measurements in orthopantomograms and evaluate possible loss of bone mineral density. They can be analyzed alone or along with the visual indices. In the periapical X-rays, the photodensimetric analyses and the trabecular pattern appear to be the most useful. There are seven studies that analyze the densitometry of the jaw, but only three do so independently of the photodensitometric analysis. Conclusions: The combination of mandibular indices, along with surveys on the risk of fracture, can be useful as indicators of early diagnosis of osteoporosis. Visual and morphometric indices appear to be especially important in the orthopantomograms. Photodensitometry indices and the trabecular pattern are used in periapical X-rays. Studies on mandibular dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry are inconclusive

Rehabilitation of atrophic maxilla: a review of 101 zygomatic implants

Introduction: Zygomatic implants are a good rehabilitation alternative for upper maxilla with severe bone reabsorption. These implants reduce the need for onlay-type bone grafting in the posterior sectors and for maxillary sinus lift procedures - limiting the use of bone grafts to the anterior zone of the upper jaw in those cases where grafting is considered necessary. Objective: To evaluate the survival of 101 zygomatic implants placed in upper maxilla presenting important bone reabsorption, with a follow-up of 1-72 months. Patients and methods: A retrospective study was made of 101 Zygoma® implants (Nobel Biocare, Göteborg, Sweden) placed in 54 patients with totally edentulous and atrophic upper maxilla, in the period between 1998-2004. There were 35 women and 19 men, subjected to rehabilitation in the form of fixed prostheses and overdentures using 1-2 zygomatic implants and 2-7 implants in the anterior maxillary zone. The principal study variables were smoking, a history of sinusitis, the degree of bone reabsorption, and peri-implant bone loss, among others. Results: The descriptive analysis of the 101 zygomatic implants placed in 54 patients with a mean age of 56 years (range 38-75) yielded a percentage survival of 96.04%, with four failed implants that were removed (two before and two after prosthetic loading). Nine patients were smokers, and none of the 54 subjects reported a history of sinus disorders. Discussion and conclusions: Zygomatic implants are designed for use in compromised upper maxilla. They allow the clinician to shorten the treatment time, affording an interesting alternative for fixed prosthetic rehabilitation. This study confirms that zygomatic bone offers predictable anchorage and acceptable support function for prostheses in atrophic jaws. However, these implants are not without complications. Longer-term evaluations are needed of zygomatic implant survival in order to establish a correct clinical prognosis

Osteogenic sarcoma of the maxillary region in a Mexican mestizo population.

Background and Objectives: This study analyzed maxillary osteosarcoma in a mestizo population, with particular emphasis on the type of treatment and disease-free and overall survival. Methods: This is a retrospective study including all mestizo patients with osteosarcoma of the maxilla seen in a single cancer institution in Mexico during a 20-year period. Results: There were 21 patients. Age ranged from 16 to 76 years (mean, 37.5 y). Mean evolution time to diagnosis was 13 months, with a mean tumor size of 7 x 6 cm(2). Surgery was the initial treatment in 19 patients, 17 of whom received adjuvant treatment. Disease-free survival according to surgical margin and overall survival were not statistically significant. Disease-free survival was 29% at 5 years, and overall survival was 50% and 25% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Conclusions: Osteosarcomas of the maxilla are infrequent lesions that merit early diagnosis and proper treatment because of their rapid evolution. Treatment is currently based on a well-planned surgery with free surgical margins plus adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.

Multiple supernumerary teeth not associated with complex syndromes: a retrospective study

Objectives: To determine the epidemiology and describe the clinical and radiographic characteristics, the type of treatment, and the possible delayed appearance of new supernumerary teeth in patients with non-syndromic multiple hyperdontia. Patients and Methods: We conducted a small retrospective observational study of 8 patients diagnosed with nonsyndromic multiple hyperdontia. Multiple hyperdontia not associated to complex syndromes was defined as apparently generally healthy patients with one or more supernumerary teeth in two or more areas. Results: The average patient age was 16.23 years; males predominated (3:1). Multiple hyperodontia with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 9 supernumerary teeth was found (total: 34 mean: 4.25). The most frequent location was the upper jaw (76.47%). Eumorphic teeth were seen at lower premolar level, while the rest were all heteromorphic. There was altered eruption of the contiguous teeth of 4 of the impacted supernumerary teeth all the rest being asymptomatic. Extraction was the treatment in all patients, and in one of them the delayed appearance of 4 supernumerary teeth was detected. Conclusions: Multiple hyperodontia rarely occurs without being associated with complex syndromes. Prophylactic surgical removal of the supernumerary teeth is generally the treatment of choice.

Multiple Myeloma with primary manifestation in the mandible: a case report

Multiple myeloma is a monoclonal malignant proliferation of plasma cells that causes osteolytic lesions in the vertebrae, ribs, pelvic bone, skull and jaw. We report on a clinical case of an 81-year-old male patient who presented with a tumefaction in the mandibular symphysis region, which had evolved over the previous seven months. In the radiographic examination, an extensive osteolytic lesion was observed in the region mentioned above. An incisional biopsy was performed and a histopathological study revealed a malignant hematopoietic neoplasm formed by plasmacytoid cells. During the bone gammagraphy a dissemination of the disease was detected in the scapula, clavicle and ribs. The diagnosis was multiple myeloma. Knowledge about the maxillofacial manifestations of multiple myeloma is important for the early diagnosis of the disease, since its primary form can manifest itself in the jaw. In the clinical case presented here, we highlight the interdisciplinarity needed to obtain a diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma

Orofacial pain of cardiac origin: review literature and clinical cases

The most common types of orofacial pain originate at the dental or periodontal level or in the musculoskeletal structures. However, the patient may present pain in this region even though the source is located elsewhere in the body. One possible source of heterotopic pain is of cardiac origin. Objectives: Report two cases of orofacial pain of cardiac origin and review the clinical cases described in the literature. Study Design: Description of clinical cases and review of clinical cases. Results and conclusions: Nine cases of atypical pain of cardiac origin are recorded, which include 5 females and 4 males. In craniofacial structures, pain of cardiac origin is usually bilateral. At the craniofacial level, the most frequent location described is in the throat and jaw. Pain of cardiac origin is considered atypical due to its location, although roughly 10% of the cases of cardiac ischemia manifest primarily in craniofacial structures. Finally, the differential diagnosis of pain of odontogenic origin must be taken into account with pain of non-odontogenic origin (muscle, psychogenic, neuronal, cardiac, sinus and neurovascular pain) in order to avoid diagnostic errors in the dental practice as well as unnecessary treatments.

Radiographic volume analysis as a novel tool to determine nasopalatine duct cyst dimensions and its association with presenting symptoms and postoperative complications.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to use cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of nasopalatine duct cysts (NPDC) and to calculate the diameter, surface area, and 3D-volume using a custom-made software program. Furthermore, any associations of dimensions of NPDC with age, gender, presence/absence of maxillary incisors/canines (MI/MC), endodontic treatment of MI/MC, presenting symptoms, and postoperative complications were evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study comprised 40 patients with a histopathologically confirmed NPDC. On preoperative CBCT scans, curves delineating the cystic borders were drawn in all planes and the widest diameter (in millimeter), surface area (in square millimeter), and volume (in cubic millimeter) were calculated. RESULTS: The overall mean cyst diameter was 15 mm (range 7-47 mm), the mean cyst surface area 566 mm(2) (84-4,516 mm(2)), and the mean cyst volume 1,735 mm(3) (65-25,350 mm(3)). For 22 randomly allocated cases, a second measurement resulted in a mean absolute aberration of ±4.2 % for the volume, ±2.8 % for the surface, and ±4.9 % for the diameter. A statistically significant association was found for the CBCT determined cyst measurements and the need for preoperative endodontic treatment to MI/MC and for postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: In the hands of a single experienced operator, the novel software exhibited high repeatability for measurements of cyst dimensions. Further studies are needed to assess the application of this tool for dimensional analysis of different jaw cysts and lesions including treatment planning. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Accurate radiographic information of the bone volume lost (osteolysis) due to expansion of a cystic lesion in three dimensions could help in personalized treatment planning.

Use of fiber-reinforced composite framework and thermochromic pigment in maxillofacial prostheses

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the possibility to enhance certain qualities of facial prostheses. Polymethyl methacrylate is still being used as base mate¬rial or clip carrier material, but it is hard and heavy, and debonding of the silicone from the acrylic base material is a frequent problem. This thesis aims to evaluate the use of fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) as framework material for maxillofacial silicone prostheses. FRC has been used as reinforcement in removable and fixed partial dentures since the 1990s. This material is lightweight and can be fabricated to compress the margins of the prosthesis slightly, to keep it tightly against the skin during jaw movements and facial expressions. Additionally, the use of a thermochromic pigment, colorless in room temperature and red in a cold environment, was studied in order to evaluate the possibility of using this color changing pigment in facial prostheses to mimic the color change of facial skin in cold weather. The tensile bond strength between pre-impregnated, unidirectional FRC and maxillofacial silicone elastomer was studied. Three different bonding agents or primers were compared. Bond strength was improved by one of the primers and by roughening the surface. The effect of a skin compressing glass fiber-reinforced composite framework on facial skin blood flow was studied by using a face mask, constructed with a compression pad corresponding to the outer margin of a glass fiber-reinforced framework beam of a facial prosthesis. The skin blood flow of ten healthy volunteers, aged 23-25 years, was measured during touch, light, and moderate compression of the skin, by using laser Doppler imaging technique. None of the compressions showed any marked effects on local skin blood flow. There were no significant differences between blood flow during compression and at baseline. Maxillofacial silicone elastomer was colored intrinsically with conventional color pigments: a control group containing only conventional pigments was compared to two test groups with 0.2 wt% and 0.6 wt% thermochromic pigment added. The color of the material was measured with a spectrophotometer in room temperature and after storage in a freezer. The color stability of the maxillofacial silicone elastomer colored with thermo¬chromic pigment was evaluated by artificial aging. The color dif¬ference of the L* (lightness) and a* values (redness), comparing color after the samples were stored at room temperature and in a freezer (-19°C), was statistically significant for both 0.2 wt% and 0.6 wt% thermo¬chromic pigment groups. The differences in the b* values (yellowness) were statistically significant for the 0.6 wt% group. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation led to visually noticeable and statistically signifi¬cant color changes (ΔE) in all color values in both test groups. The specimens containing thermochromic pigment were very sensitive to UV radiation. In conclusion, a framework of fiber-reinforced composite can successfully be bonded to maxillofacial silicone elastomer, and a framework beam, compressing the facial skin, did not remarkably alter the skin blood flow on healthy, young adults. The thermochromic pigment showed color change in maxillofacial silicone elastomer. However, artificial aging showed that it was too sensitive to UV radiation to be used, as such, in maxillofacial prostheses.