Recent progress in additive manufacturing of ceramic dental restorations

Abstract

Ceramics are highly regarded in dental restorations owing to their favorable mechanical properties, chemical resistance, biocompatibility, and aesthetic features. Ceramic additive manufacturing (AM) technology has emerged as a promising solution that offers advantages over traditional techniques such as injection molding, die pressing, tape casting, and milling. Ceramic AM is, however, still under development, with new technologies and devices continuously emerging. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the latest research and applications of ceramic AM in dental restoration, focusing on the progress made within the past five years. Three perspectives are discussed: ceramic AM technologies, commonly used printable ceramic materials, and different types of dental restorations. Among these, vat photopolymerization is the most widely researched and promising AM technology for large-scale applications. ZrO2 remains the primary material used in AM research, whereas crowns and bridges are the most frequently studied and are the closest to industrialized dental restorations. Currently, ceramic AM satisfies the clinical requirements of accuracy, mechanical performance, and biocompatibility. However, compared with traditional methods, it lacks significant advantages in terms of cost and manufacturing efficiency, limiting its large-scale application. Further improvements are necessary in all stages, including raw materials, equipment, post-processing, and standardization.