Final answer:
Polyvinylsiloxane impression materials are valued in dentistry for their high dimensional stability, low polymerization shrinkage, minimal by-product formation, and low linear expansion, ensuring the precision of dental impressions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Polyvinylsiloxane impression materials are widely used in dentistry due to their impressive properties. One of their key attributes is their dimensional stability, which is critical for creating accurate dental impressions. Unlike some other materials, polyvinylsiloxane materials possess a very low degree of polymerization shrinkage, which is crucial to prevent distortion of the impression. This property ensures that the dimensions of the impression remain stable over time, allowing for precise dental work. Moreover, they have minimal by-product formation during setting, which is beneficial from a health perspective, and have a low coefficient of thermal linear expansion, which further contributes to their dimensional stability.