Rapid prototyping and stereolithography in dentistry

Abstract

The word rapid prototyping (RP) was first used in mechanical engineering field in the early 1980s to describe the act of producing a prototype, a unique product, the first product, or a reference model. In the past, prototypes were handmade by sculpting or casting, and their fabrication demanded a long time. Any and every prototype should undergo evaluation, correction of defects, and approval before the beginning of its mass or large scale production. Prototypes may also be used for specific or restricted purposes, in which case they are usually called a preseries model. With the development of information technology, three-dimensional models can be devised and built based on virtual prototypes. Computers can now be used to create accurately detailed projects that can be assessed from different perspectives in a process known as computer aided design (CAD). To materialize virtual objects using CAD, a computer aided manufacture (CAM) process has been developed. To transform a virtual file into a real object, CAM operates using a machine connected to a computer, similar to a printer or peripheral device. In 1987, Brix and Lambrecht used, for the first time, a prototype in health care. It was a three-dimensional model manufactured using a computer numerical control device, a type of machine that was the predecessor of RP. In 1991, human anatomy models produced with a technology called stereolithography were first used in a maxillofacial surgery clinic in Viena.

3D printed versus conventionally cured provisional crown and bridge dental materials

“…Arguably, one of the procedures that can benefit the most from the recent developments in 3D printing technologies is the fabrication of provisional crowns and bridges. Different from 3D printing of complex, large scale, full-arch structures, like orthodontic appliances 20 , surgical guides 16–18 , and dentals casts 14 , 3D printing of single unit crowns may be done in as little 10–20 min. Therefore, it is not hard to imagine a clinical situation where the clinician could prepare a tooth, scan it, send it to a chair-side 3D printer, and proceed with other procedures in the same patient while the crown is being printed.…”

Digital Dentistry — 3D Printing Applications

“…13 The polymer is layered pending the object is constructed, and the residual liquid polymer is drained off. 14 …”

Endodontic applications of 3D printing

“…Oral surgery applications generate printed anatomic reproductions for surgical planning and treatment during post‐traumatic reconstruction, removal of pathological tissue, autotransplantation and obturator prosthesis fabrication (Nayar et al . , Verweij et al . , Bartellas et al .…”

“…Orthodontic applications of 3D printing include diagnostic models, trays for indirect bonding, and tooth movement appliances (Nayar et al . , Kumar & Ghafoor , https://smiledirectclub.com/, https://www.digitalortho.com.au/). Recent applications of 3D printing in the endodontic literature point to a possible paradigm shift in the way challenging surgical and nonsurgical endodontic treatments are accomplished.…”