Fracture and mechanical behavior of 3D-printed dental resin

Abstract

Although additive manufacturing (AM) has been introduced for production of prototypes, it has been recently used for fabrication of end-use products. AM also known as three-dimensional printing (3D) printing, has paved the way for production of individualized products in various applications. In dentistry, 3D printing is currently used to fabricate different parts such as surgical guides, veneers, permanent crown, and dental aligners. Due to the advantages of 3D printing, utilizing this technique for producing surgical guides and dental aligners is often preferred where possible. In the current study, we investigate the mechanical behavior of 3D-printed dental resin which used for fabrication of surgical guides. To this aim, surgical guide resin is used to print specimens using vat photopolymerization technique. Surgical guide resin is a biocompatible resin for applications including 3D printing dental surgical guides for implant placement. 3D-printed specimens were subjected to a series of tensile and three-point bending tests. Based on the conducted tests, basic mechanical properties and the failure behavior of the 3D-printed parts are determined. The experimental practice proved stability and performance of surgical guide resin. The outcomes of the current study can be used for design, optimization, and further development of 3D-printed implant surgical guide.