The Accuracy of 3D-Printed Fixed Dental Restorations.

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Digital Dentistry
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• 3D printing technologies offer potential for fabricating dental restorations.
• Evaluating the dimensional accuracy of 3D-printed restorations is crucial for clinical success.
• Resin-based materials are commonly used in 3D printing for dental applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the accuracy of 3D-printed resin-based dental restorations (veneers, single crowns, four-unit fixed partial dental prostheses - FPDs).
• To compare two different 3D printing technologies (digital light processing and stereolithography) using polymer-based materials.
• To evaluate both external and internal dimensional accuracy in terms of trueness and precision.

Main Methods:

• CAD/CAM workflow involving intraoral scanning, virtual design, and 3D printing.
• Fabrication of 80 restorations using two distinct 3D printing technologies.
• Dimensional accuracy evaluation using 3D scanning and statistical analysis (ANOVA, T-test).

Main Results:

• Statistically significant differences were found in the external dimensional analysis for incisors, molars, and four-unit FPDs (p < 0.05).
• Internal dimensional analysis revealed mean trueness values between 17-52 μm, with significant variability.
• Both 3D printing technologies demonstrated acceptable trueness for clinical application, albeit with observed variability.

Conclusions:

• 3D-printed fixed dental restorations achieved clinically acceptable trueness after chairside modifications.
• Significant variability among 3D-printed restorations highlights the need for further research and development.
• Future advancements, potentially integrating AI with 3D printing, could enhance accuracy and efficiency in dental restoration production.