3D printing will have a bright future in dentistry: Study
3D printing will have a bright future in dentistry, according to a study published in Scanning.
In 1986, Charles Hull introduced the first three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, and the industry developed many different manufacturing technologies, which have been applied to numerous fields. In 1986, Hull patented stereolithography (SLA) and built and developed a 3D printing system. In 1990, Scott Crump received a patent for fused deposition modelling (FDM). Since then, 3D printing has been increasingly progressing
Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies are advanced manufacturing technologies based on computer-aided design digital models to create personalized 3D objects automatically. They have been widely used in the industry, design, engineering, and manufacturing fields for nearly 30 years. Three-dimensional printing has many advantages in process engineering, with applications in dentistry ranging from the field of prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and oral implantology to orthodontics, endodontics, and periodontology.
This review provides a practical and scientific overview of 3D printing technologies. First, it introduces current 3D printing technologies, including powder bed fusion, photopolymerization molding, and fused deposition modeling. Additionally, it introduces various factors affecting 3D printing metrics, such as mechanical properties and accuracy.
Findings of the review:
The 3D printing technologies can quickly accept CAD data. Moreover, it can rapidly manufacture single and small-batch parts, new samples, complex shape products, molds, and models [15]. It has many advantages, such as high material utilization, high economic benefits, and the production of certain scale products on demand. However, it still has several disadvantages, such as high cost of processing and material and time-consuming postprocessing. Still, in general, 3D printing has been successfully applied in the medical field.
This review found that there are three main 3D printing technologies, including powder bed fusion (PBF), light curing, and fused deposition modeling (FDM). The factors affecting the accuracy of 3D printing including process parameters and material composition will also be discussed. Finally, this review describes the applications in dentistry of 3D printing in detail, including manufacturing working models and primary applications in the fields of prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and oral implantology. The 3D printing technologies have the advantages of high material utilization and the ability to manufacture a single complex geometry; nevertheless, they have the disadvantages of high cost and time-consuming postprocessing.
Thus, the researchers concluded that the development of new materials and technologies will be the future trend of 3D printing in dentistry, and there is no denying that 3D printing will have a bright future.
Reference
A Review of 3D Printing in Dentistry: Technologies, Affecting Factors, and Applications by Yueyi Tian et al. published in the Scanning.
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/scanning/2021/9950131/
