Comparison of Two Chosen 3D Printing Resins Designed for Orthodontic Use: An In Vitro Study

Abstract

(1) Background: In recent years, 3D printing has become a highly popular tool for manufacturing in various fields such as aviation, automobiles, plastics, and even medicine, including dentistry. Three-dimensional printing allows dentists to create high-precision models of teeth and jaw structure, and enables them to develop customized tools for patients’ treatment. The range of resins used in dentistry is quite large, and this branch is developing rapidly; hence, studies comparing different resins are required. The present study aimed to compare the mechanical properties of two chosen resins used in dentistry. (2) Materials and methods: Ten specimens each of two types of 3D-printable resins (BioMed Amber and IBT, developed by Formlabs) were prepared. The samples were printed on a Formlabs Form 2 3D printer according to ISO standards. Samples for the compression test were rectangular in shape (10 ± 0.2 mm × 10 ± 0.2 mm × 4 ± 0.2 mm), while the samples used for the tensile test were dumbbell shaped (75 mm long, with 10 mm end width and 2 mm thickness). Tensile and compression tests of both materials were performed in accordance with the appropriate ISO standards. (3) Results: The BioMed Amber resin was more resistant to compression and tensile forces, thus implying that the resin could withstand higher stress during stretching, pulling, or pushing. The IBT resin was less resistant to such loads, and failure of this material occurred at lower forces than those for Biomed Amber. An ANOVA test confirmed that the observed differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Based on the properties of both materials, the IBT resin could be better used as a tray for placing orthodontic brackets through an indirect bonding technique, while the BioMed Amber resin would be more useful as a surgical guide for placing dental implants and mini-implants. Further potential fields of application of the resins should be investigated.

The Influence of Polishing and Artificial Aging on BioMed Amber® Resin’s Mechanical Properties

“…BioMed Amber is a quite new resin that was not yet thoroughly investigated. Due to potential use in preparation of surgical guides (especially for implants and orthodontic miniimplants), the precision of their preparation is crucial [6,7]. Without this type of resin, the preparation of guides for implant insertion would not be possible.…”

“…The research presented by us was designed based on the ISO standards, which assumes that the number of samples needed for the examination of the presented mechanical features is 5 [13,14]. The comparative studies that checked the properties of mechanical features of the BioMed Amber were conducted on the 10 samples [6,7]. The authors of the presented research focused on bringing up the novel properties of the presented resin, possibly broadening its future use.…”

“…The 3D materials are preferably tested by the researchers [6][7][8][9]. For this reason, the different material properties are measured.…”

“…It is transparent, but has a yellowish glow, so it is not truly esthetic. The material is also durable with the frequent use of common disinfection agents and sterilization [6,7].…”

Statistical Comparison of the Mechanical Properties of 3D-Printed Resin through Triple-Jetting Technology and Conventional PMMA in Orthodontic Occlusal Splint Manufacturing

“…Only one type of printer and one type of material were used. Some studies suggest that there is no statistical significance in different 3D-printed materials using another type of printing method (low-force stereolithography) when assessing mechanical proprieties [25,26].…”