Emerging Metal Additive Manufacturing for Individualized Dental Therapies: A Narrative Review

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, particularly laser powder bed fusion, are being increasingly recognized not as brand-new technologies, but as emerging technologies with their recent advancements-such as the development of optimized alloys, seamless digital workflow integration, and applications in patient-specific prostheses. With the rise in patient-specific approaches in dentistry, clinicians are seeking customized devices that precisely match individual anatomical and functional needs. AM offers various advantages, such as the fabrication of complex geometries directly from digital designs, enhanced clinical precision, reduced material waste, and simplified manufacturing workflow, and hence can uniquely address these demands. Recent advancements in AM techniques have led to the development of titanium and cobalt-chromium alloys with improved mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and biological compatibility. These alloys show great potential for clinical applications. Additionally, AM enables precise control over the microstructures and surface topographies of these alloys during fabrication, facilitating their optimized integration with biological tissues. This mini review summarizes recent advancements in metal AM technologies relevant to personalized dentistry, highlights key material developments, discusses current clinical applications, and identifies key challenges such as high cost, materials limitations, and regulatory hurdles, and highlights future opportunities including multi-materials AM, smart implants, and AI-driven optimization for fully integrated, digitally driven personalized dental care.