Introduction: In the primary treatment of wounds, any suture used should maintain its strength in order to bring the two wound edges together until the healing phase is over. We evaluated the strength of three different suture materials, kept in artificial (AS) or human saliva (HS). In addition, the thermal aging technique was applied to mimic real-like outcomes. Materials and methods: Poly(glycolide-co-lactide) (PGLA) and poly(glycolide-co-caprolactone) (PGCL) were used as absorbable materials, and silk was used as a non-absorbable, suture material. All suture materials were aged in a thermal cycle. Tensile strength values were tested on day 0, 3, 7, and 14. Results and discussion: Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in terms of duration, saliva, and suture type, but no significant difference between AS and HS in the first three days. In terms of the PGLA and PGCL types, there was a statistical difference on day 7 and 14. A faster strength loss was observed in HS. Conclusions: In in vitro studies lasting more than 3 days, it would be more appropriate to use HS rather than AS to ensure accurate results. Surgeons should consider that multifilament sutures show a greater tendency to untie than monofilament sutures, due to thermal changes.
Keywords:- aging
- artificial saliva
- saliva
- surgical sutures