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Polymer Materials and Technology: Dental 3D Printing

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Processing and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2024) | Viewed by 11013

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jingwei He

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Guest Editor

College of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: molecule synthesis, dental materials, polymerization
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Dr. Sufyan Garoushi

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Department of Biomaterials Science and Turku Clinical Biomaterials Center—TCBC, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Interests: fiber reinforced composites; dental materials
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Dr. Lippo Lassila

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Guest Editor

Department of Biomaterials Science, Institute of Dentistry and BioCity Turku Biomaterial Research Program, University of Turku, Turku 20520, Finland
Interests: fiber reinforeced composites; biomechanics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Different additive manufacturing methods are rapidly increasing in dentistry. However, 3D printing technologies are very new and novel innovations are coming all the time. Furthermore, materials, especially polymeric materials, are increasingly covering widely all indication areas of dentistry. Few years ago eg. polymer based dental restorations materials are brought to market as a temporary use, but nowadays many materials with permanent indications are already established to market. As clinical requirement and demands of materials are increasing, more complex printing technology are coming available like multimaterial printing or printing fiber reinforced resin composites or printing different multilayered colour shades.

However, still lot of challenges exist with 3D polymeric materials that are already on the market and used clinically: post processing, stability of materials, storage time, printing accuracy, alternative green materials, even allergenic aspect for dental professionals or patients has to be considered.

Especially, the current heterogeneity of materials and printing technology is still challenging the dental community and there is a need to understand the risks and benefits of 3D printing technology.

This Special Issue welcomes all kinds of research topics including novel development or challenges/future perspectives in polymer-based 3D print dental materials or relative 3D print technology: Research articles, Review articles, and Short communications are all welcome.

Dr. Jingwei He
Dr. Sufyan Garoushi
Dr. Lippo Lassila
Guest Editors

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Keywords

additive manufacturing
Dental 3D printing
polymeric material
dental restorations materials

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1966 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aging Processes and Their Influence on the Mechanical Properties of Printable Occlusal Splint Materials

by Jan Raffael Rosello Jimenez, Florian Fuchs, Leonie Schmohl, Michaela Schulz-Siegmund and Andreas Koenig

Polymers 2023, 15(23), 4574; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15234574 - 29 Nov 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1320

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D)-printed occlusal splints are becoming more prevalent in the treatment of tooth substance loss due to their fast and cost-effective production. The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate whether the mechanical properties (tensile strength—TS, modulus of elasticity in tension—ME, and Vickers hardness—HV) vary between the materials (printed dimethacrylate-based resins: Keyprint KeySplint soft—KEY, Luxaprint Ortho Plus—LUX, V-Print splint—VPR, printed methacrylate-based resins Freeprint splint 2.0—FRE, and milled methacrylate-based material, CLEAR splint—CLE), and the influence of aging processes (extraoral storage conditions and nightly or daily use) was examined. The printed methacrylate-based resins (FRE, LUX, and VPR) had much higher TS (43.7–48.5 MPa compared to 12.3–13.3 MPa), higher ME (2.01–2.37 GPa compared to 0.43–0.72 GPa), and higher HV (11.8–15.0 HV compared to 3.3–3.5 HV) than both of the methacrylate-based resins (KEY and CLE) after the production process. Although the TS, ME, and HV of the printed dimethacrylate resins (FRE, LUX, and VPR) decreased significantly under humid conditions with possibly elevated temperatures (thermocycling as well as 37 °C), these mechanical properties were significantly higher than both methacrylate-based resins (KEY and CLE). Therefore, printed dimethacrylate resins should be used rather than methacrylate-based resins for high expected masticatory forces, low wall thicknesses, or very long wearing times (≥6 months). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Materials and Technology: Dental 3D Printing)

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12 pages, 1711 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Stacking on the Accuracy of 3D-Printed Full-Arch Dental Models

by Olan Hartley, Tanvi Shanbhag, Derek Smith, Antonio Grimm, Ziad Salameh, Santosh K. Tadakamadla, Frank Alifui-Segbaya and Khaled E. Ahmed

Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5465; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245465 - 13 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2661

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of stacking on the dimensional and full-arch accuracy of 3D-printed models, utilising a standardised assessment methodology. A previously validated methodology involving a standard tessellation language image (STL) reference model, comprising seven spheres on a horseshoe base resembling a dental arch, was used. Six 3D-designed STL models were prepared, optimised, and stacked horizontally using 3D Sprint software. The stacking file was transferred to the NextDent 5100 printer to build the physical models. To assess accuracy, a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) measured the diameter of the spheres

(n = 210)

, and twenty-one vectors extended between the centres of each of the seven spheres (n = 630). When compared to the reference model, significant differences were observed for dimensional (p = 0.006) and full-arch accuracy (p = 0.006) for all stacked models. Additionally, significant differences were observed between the stacked models for the dimensional accuracy between the posterior (p = 0.015), left posterior (p = 0.005) and anteroposterior (p = 0.002). The maximum contraction was observed in the fourth stacked model, which demonstrated the highest median deviation and least precision within the full-arch (MD = 666 μm, IQR = 55 μm), left posterior (MD = 136 μm, IQR = 12 μm), posterior (MD = 177 μm, IQR = 14 μm) and anteroposterior (MD = 179 μm, IQR = 16 μm) arch segments. In general, the anterior and left posterior arch segments recorded the highest contractions with a median deviation of 34 μm and 29 μm, and precision of 32 μm and 22 μm, respectively. Statistically significant differences were observed between the stacked models in terms of dimensional accuracy that were within clinically acceptable thresholds. The greatest contraction was noted in the fourth model, displaying the least full-arch accuracy compared to the other models. Stacked, additively manufactured, full arch models are a viable alternative for diagnostic, orthodontic, and single-unit prosthodontic applications. In contrast, caution should be exercised when utilising stacked models for full arch high accuracy prosthodontic applications. Further research is needed to assess the impact of additional variables including different printers and resins. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Materials and Technology: Dental 3D Printing)

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12 pages, 11115 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Nitrogen Gas Post-Curing and Printer Type on the Mechanical Properties of 3D-Printed Hard Occlusal Splint Material

by Junichiro Wada, Kanae Wada, Mona Gibreel, Noriyuki Wakabayashi, Tsutomu Iwamoto, Pekka K. Vallittu and Lippo Lassila

Polymers 2022, 14(19), 3971; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14193971 - 22 Sep 2022

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3611

Abstract

Although three-dimensional (3D) printing is clinically convenient to fabricate occlusal splints, it is still unclear how the post-curing method and the printer type can affect 3D-printed splints. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of stroboscopic post-curing at a nitrogen gas (N₂) atmosphere versus post-curing in an air atmosphere, as well as the printer type (liquid crystal display (LCD) and digital light processing (DLP)) on the mechanical properties of a 3D-printed hard-type occlusal splint material. Flexural strength, flexural modulus, Vickers hardness number (VHN), fracture toughness, degree of double bond conversion (DC), 3D microlayer structure, water sorption, and water solubility were evaluated. The post-curing method significantly affected all evaluated properties except fracture toughness and 3D microlayer structure, while the printer type significantly affected all evaluated properties except flexural strength and flexural modulus. VHN and DC were significantly higher, and the smoother surface was noticeably obtained when printed by LCD printer and post-cured at an N₂ atmosphere. The current results suggested that the post-curing method and the printer type would play a role in the mechanical properties of the evaluated material and that the combination of post-curing at an N₂ atmosphere and LCD printer could enhance its mechanical properties and surface smoothness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Materials and Technology: Dental 3D Printing)

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20 pages, 5193 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical Properties and In Vitro Biocompatibility of Hybrid Polymer-HA/BAG Ceramic Dental Materials

by Yuanyuan Chen, Cheng Sun, Jinfang Cao, Yuanyuan Wu, Bencang Cui, Jianfeng Ma and Huining Wang

Polymers 2022, 14(18), 3774; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14183774 - 9 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2426

Abstract

The aim of this study is to prepare hybrid polymer–ceramic dental materials for chairside computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) applications. The hybrid polymer–ceramic materials were fabricated via infiltrating polymerizable monomer mixtures into sintered hydroxyapatite/bioactive glass (HA/BAG) ceramic blocks and thermo-curing. The microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscopy and an energy-dispersive spectrometer. The phase structure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The composition ratio was analyzed by a thermogravimetric analyzer. The hardness was measured by a Vickers hardness tester. The flexural strength, flexural modulus, and compressive strength were measured and calculated by a universal testing machine. The growth of human gingival fibroblasts was evaluated by a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay and immunofluorescence staining. The results showed that the sintering temperature and BAG content affected the mechanical properties of the hybrid polymer–ceramic materials. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed that high-temperature sintering promoted the partial conversion of HA to β-tricalcium phosphate. The values of the hardness, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and compressive strength of all the hybrid polymer–ceramic materials were 0.89–3.51 GPa, 57.61–118.05 MPa, 20.26–39.77 GPa, and 60.36–390.46 MPa, respectively. The mechanical properties of the hybrid polymer–ceramic materials were similar to natural teeth. As a trade-off between flexural strength and hardness, hybrid polymer–ceramic material with 20 wt.% BAG sintered at 1000 °C was the best material. In vitro experiments confirmed the biocompatibility of the hybrid polymer–ceramic material. Therefore, the hybrid polymer–ceramic material is expected to become a new type of dental restoration material. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Materials and Technology: Dental 3D Printing)

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