Various 3D printing systems for interim fixed dental restorations are commercially available. This study aimed to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of 3D printed resins used for interim restorations fabricated using various 3D printing systems and printing angulations after accelerated aging. Three different interim restorative materials were provided and printed using their specific 3D printing systems (A: NextDent; B: Asiga; C: Nova3D), and the testing specimens from each system were printed at two building angles: (1) 0° and (2) 90°. The six groups were A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2, with sixteen specimens per group. Half of the specimens in each group (N = 8) were subjected to accelerated aging, including simulated brushing and thermocycling. Three-point bending, surface roughness, and Vickers microhardness tests were performed. Two-way ANOVA and Fisher’s multiple tests were used for statistical analyses. The most accurate systems were found in groups C1 and C2 for length, A1 and B1 for width, and A1 and C1 for height. The specimen trueness only changed after aging for groups B1, B2, and C1. The flexural strength of the A2 group (151 ± 7 MPa) before aging was higher than that of the other groups, and the strength decreased after aging only for groups A1 and A2. The flexural strength, microhardness, and surface roughness of the 3D printed interim resins after aging varied depending on the material, system used, and printing angle.

All-ceramic restorations have become popular and the trend is ongoing. However, the incidence of chipping within the veneering layer has been a commonly reported failure in clinical practice. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of ceramic crown design (monolithic vs bi-layered) and material on the chipping resistance of molar crowns submitted to compressive cyclic loading. Fifty identical epoxy resin replicas of a mandibular first molar with crown preparation were divided into 5 groups (n = 10) as follows: the MLD group - monolithic CAD/CAM lithium-disilicate glass-ceramic (LDGC) crowns; 30 zirconia cores were veneered with either feldspathic porcelain by hand-layering technique (ZHL) or by heat-pressing technique (ZVP), or with milled LDGC veneers and subsequently fused to the cores (ZLD); 10 porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crowns acted as a control group. All crowns were cemented using Panavia® F2.0 resin cement (Kuraray Dental, Tokyo, Japan). After storage in water at 37°C for 1 week, the specimens were subjected to compressive cyclic loading at the mesiobuccal cusp which was tilted at 30°. A load cycle of 50-450 N was used and specimens were maintained in an aqueous environment throughout 500,000 cycles in a universal testing machine (Instron, Norwood, USA). The data was statistically analyzed at 5% significant level with Fisher's exact test and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Significant differences in survival rates of the specimens used in the groups (p < 0.001) were found. Specimens of the PFM, ZHL and ZVP groups underwent failures at different stages of the 500,000 fatigue cycles, while specimens of the MLD and ZLD groups survived the entire fatigue test. ZHL and ZVP crowns had the worst chipping-resistance, while PFM crowns performed slightly better. The Kaplan-Meier test revealed significantly higher survival rates for the MLD and ZLD specimens compared to the other 3 groups. The use of LDGC as a monolithic molar crown and as a veneer over a zirconia core resulted in superior resistance to cuspal chipping.

This in vitro study evaluated the influence of combined coffee staining and simulated brushing-induced color changes and surface roughness on 3D-printed orthodontic retainers. Specimens measuring 10 × 10 × 0.75 mm³ were obtained either by conventional vacuum forming or 3D printing at four print angulations (0°, 15°, 30°, and 45°) (n = 10). The prepared specimens were immersed in a coffee beverage and then mechanically brushed using a simulating device. The specimen’s color difference (ΔE) and surface roughness (Ra) were quantified using a spectrophotometer and a non-contact profilometer, respectively. The highest and lowest mean ΔE values were recorded for the 3D-printed-45° (4.68 ± 2.07) and conventional (2.18 ± 0.87) groups, respectively. The overall mean comparison of ΔE between the conventional and 3D-printed groups was statistically significant (p < 0.01). After simulated brushing, all groups showed a statistically significant increase in the Ra values (p < 0.01). The highest Ra was in the 3D-printed-45° (1.009 ± 0.13 µm) and conventional (0.743 ± 0.12 µm) groups, respectively. The overall ΔE of 3D-printed orthodontic retainers was not comparable to conventional VFRs. Among the different angulations used to print the retainers, 15° angulations were the most efficient in terms of color changes and surface roughness and were comparable to conventional VFRs.

Alageel O, et al. J Adv Prosthodont. 2022 Dec;14(6):360-368. https://doi.org/10.4047/jap.2022.14.6.360

The advancement of digital dentistry enhanced the fabrication of indirect provisional restorations utilizing durable materials, yet the performance of provisional crowns fabricated with various techniques, and different thickness remains unknown. Thus, this in-vitro study aimed to evaluate the influence of restoration thickness and aging on the fracture behavior of provisional crowns fabricated using different techniques. A dentiform maxillary first molar was prepared using a highly filled epoxy resin material to construct identical die replicas. Four groups of provisional crowns were fabricated: Group 1 was milled at 1.5 mm occlusal thickness; Group 2 was milled at 0.9 mm thickness; Group 3 was 3D-printed at 1.5 mm occlusal thickness; and Group 4 was 3D-printed at 0.9 mm occlusal thickness. Eight crowns from each group were subjected to a thermocycling process for 5000 cycles between baths held at 5 °C and 55 °C with a dwell time of 30 s and transfer time of 5 s. All crowns (aged and non-aged (control)) were loaded for fracturing using a universal testing machine at a 0.5 mm/min crosshead speed. Data were analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance and multiple comparisons at (α = 0.05). The maximum mean force load was found in the non-aged milled group (M1.5) at 1706.36 ± 124.07 N; the minimum mean force load was recorded for the aged 3D-printed group (3D0.9) at 552.49 ± 173.46 N. A significant difference was observed before and after thermocycling (p < 0.01). Computer-aided design and manufacture of milled provisional crowns is superior to 3D-printed crowns for fracture resistance.

This laboratory study aimed to evaluate the effect of different surface patterns using femtosecond laser treatment on the enclosed mold shear bond strength (EM-SBS) of resin composite to zirconia (ZrO₂) surfaces and to contrast it with the widely used tribochemical silica coating (TBC) surface conditioning method. A set of fifteen rectangular ZrO₂ blocks were randomly divided into five groups according to surface pretreatment: Control G₀—no treatment; G₁—TBC with silane application; G₂—femtosecond laser irradiation with horizontal lines 30 µm apart; _G3—femtosecond laser irradiation with horizontal lines 15 µm apart; and G₄—femtosecond laser irradiation with cross lines 30 µm apart. The pretreated surfaces were characterized by a surface profilometer, tensiometer and scanning electron microscope. The EM-SBS of resin composite stubs to ZrO₂ was measured followed by fractographic analysis. The surface roughness and water contact angle were observed to be statistically higher among the femtosecond laser groups compared to the TBC and control groups. The G₄ group exhibited the highest EM-SBS among all the groups, irrespective of the ageing conditions used. At the end of 5000 thermocycles, G₄ exhibited EM-SBS of 14.05 ± 4.21 MPa compared to 13.80 ± 3.01 MPa in G₁ and 5.47 ± 0.97 MPa in G₀. The two-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of both study groups and ageing conditions on the EM-SBS (p < 0.001). Utilization of femtosecond laser technology holds promise as a potential and alternative mechanical retention approach for enhancing the bonding strength of the resin composite to ZrO₂.