Comparison of Color Stability and Surface Roughness of 3D Printing Resin by Polishing Methods

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the color stability and surface roughness of three-dimensional (3D) printing resin according to polishing methods. 3D-printed resin specimens were fabricated at TC-80DP (Graphy, Seoul, Korea) with a stereolithography 3D printer, and the specimens were divided into three groups, each of which was not polished, was polished using Enhance®, and was polished using a Sof-Lex<sup>TM</sup> disc. The CIE L*a*b* value and the surface roughness of each group were measured and immersed in artificial saliva and orange juice after 0, 1, 7, 30, and 60 days, and the color difference (ΔE*) was calculated. As a result of the study, no noticeable color change was observed in artificial saliva, but a noticeable color change was demonstrated in orange juice after 60 days of immersion, and the difference was significant. In the Sof-Lex<sup>TM</sup> group, surface roughness according to the solution was found to be significantly higher in the orange juice than that in artificial saliva. No significant difference in color change was found according to the polishing method, but surface roughness was significantly lower in the Sof-Lex<sup>TM</sup> group than both that of the unpolished group and that of the Enhance® group. Nevertheless, all groups exhibited clinically acceptable properties regardless of their higher surface roughness than the threshold for plaque accumulation. Overall, this study recommends utilizing Sof-Lex<sup>TM</sup> for polishing 3D printing resin when used in primary anterior tooth coverage.