Access opening guide produced using a 3D printer (AOG-3DP) as an effective tool in difficult cases for dental...

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Restorative Dentistry
• 3D Printing Technology

Background:

• Predoctoral dental students often struggle with achieving ideal access opening shape and preventing excessive tooth loss during endodontic procedures.
• Traditional methods lack precision, potentially leading to increased preparation time and material waste.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a 3D-printed access opening guide (AOG-3DP) in teaching ideal access opening shape.
• To assess the AOG-3DP's ability to prevent excessive tooth loss among predoctoral dental students.
• To compare preparation time and access cavity volume between students using the AOG-3DP and those using conventional methods.

Main Methods:

• Ninety teeth were divided into two groups: a control group without an aid and a test group using the AOG-3DP.
• The AOG-3DP was designed using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and fabricated with a 3D printer.
• Access preparations were scanned using CBCT to evaluate overpreparation, and preparation time and access cavity volume were measured.

Main Results:

• The AOG-3DP group demonstrated significantly reduced mean preparation times for both premolars (97.4 s vs. 327.2 s) and molars (104.5 s vs. 547.4 s) compared to the control group.
• The AOG-3DP group exhibited minimal deviation from ideal cavity volumes (-2.0 mm³ for premolars, -8.7 mm³ for molars), while the control group showed significant overpreparation (38.1 mm³ for premolars, 72.2 mm³ for molars).

Conclusions:

• The AOG-3DP effectively reduces access opening time and improves accuracy in predoctoral dental students.
• While requiring additional preclinical steps for image conversion and printing, the AOG-3DP can be a valuable tool, particularly for challenging cases.
• This technology offers a potential improvement in dental education and clinical practice for endodontic access preparations.