3D printing/additive manufacturing of single-implant overdentures. A randomized controlled clinical trial

Mandibular single-implant overdenture is a well-established treatment modality for the management of completely edentulous patients. The use of CAD/CAM printing technology to fabricate complete dentures and overdentures is burgeoning. The present randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) aimed to clinically evaluate 3D-printed single-implant overdentures and compare their outcomes with those of overdentures fabricated using conventional techniques.

An RCT was designed. Twenty-eight participants were randomly allocated into two equal groups. Participants in the control group received conventionally fabricated single-implant overdentures, while those in the intervention group received digital light processing-printed single-implant overdentures. An evaluation was conducted to assess implant survival and success rates as well as overdenture survival and success, along with the measurement of maximum bite force (MBF) over a 1-year follow-up period. Data were collected and subjected to statistical analysis. Statistical significance was determined using a two-sided P value with a threshold of less than 0.05.

The 3D-printed group had higher implant survival (100%) and success (92.8%) rates compared with the conventional group (85.7% survival, 85.7% success). Overdenture survival and success rates were 100% in the 3D-printed group and 78.6% in the conventional group. Both groups showed a significant increase in MBF at the 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups (P 0.001). The 3D-printed group demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in MBF compared with the conventional group (P 0.001).

3D-printed mandibular single-implant overdentures may represent an alternative to conventionally fabricated ones.