Influence of printing orientation on mechanical properties of aged 3D-printed restorative resins.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of printing orientation on flexural strength (σf) and elastic modulus (E) of different 3D printing dental restorative resins. METHODS: Bar-shaped specimens (n = 20) were fabricated from two SLA-printed resins (FT- Formlabs Temporary, and FP- Formlabs Permanent) and two DLP-printed resins (DFT- Detax Freeprint Temp, and GCT- GC Temporary) using two building orientations (0º and 90º). The 3D-printed structures were aged (14 d) before submitted to three-point bending in 37ºC distilled water at a crosshead speed of 1.0 ± 0.3 mm/min until fracture to calculate the σf and the E values. The fractured surfaces were evaluated using stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) following fractography principles. Data were statistically analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc (α = 0.001). RESULTS: FP and FT showed significantly higher E values than DFT and GCT, irrespectively of printing orientation (p < 0.001). There was no statistical difference between the building orientations (0º and 90º) for the mean σf and E values for the resin materials evaluated. Fractographic characteristics were similar for the surface fracture from all the materials evaluated, showing typical brittle fracture behavior. SIGNIFICANCE: Printing orientation did not influence of flexural strength and elastic modulus values for the 3D-printed resin structures evaluated. Surface topography was mostly governed by the 3D printer type.

Resistência flexural de uma resina para impressão 3D comparada a resinas acrílicas convencionais empregadas para confecção de placas estabilizadoras de mordida / Flexural resistance of 3D printing resin compared to conventional acrylic resins employed to build occlusal bite splints

Introduction: with the technological advance in dentistry, light-polymerized three-dimensional (3D) printing resins had become an alternative for the manufacture of occlusal splint splints. Objective: the present study aimed to analyze the flexural strength of a resin for 3D printing compared to conventional acrylic resins (chemically activated and thermally activated), under the influence of thermocycling. Material and method: 60 specimens were made, which were distributed in six experimental groups (n = 10), according to the resin employed (chemically activated acrylic resin, thermally activated acrylic resin and 3D printing resin) and the treatment received (control and thermocycling). The specimens were submitted to flexural strength by the three-point flexural test. Result: data analysis showed that the material factor (<0.0001) and the thermocycling factor (p = 0.0096) influenced flexural strength, however, the interaction between the two factors did not (p = 0.9728). Conclusion: it was concluded that 3D printing resins presented the lowest flexural resistance to acrylic resins, especially when submitted to thermocycling.

Introdução: com o avanço tecnológico dentro da odontologia, as resinas fotopolimerizáveis para impressão tridimensional (3D) se tornaram uma alternativa para a fabricação de dispositivos interoclusais. Objetivo: o presente trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a resistência flexural de uma resina para impressão tridimensional comparada com resinas acrílicas convencionais (quimicamente ativada e termicamente ativada), sob a influência da termociclagem. Material e método: foram confeccionados 60 corpos de prova, que foram distribuídos aleatoriamente em seis grupos experimentais (n=10), de acordo com a resina utilizada (resina acrílica ativada quimicamente, resina acrílica ativada termicamente e resina para impressão 3D) e com o tratamento recebido (controle e termociclagem). Os corpos de prova foram submetidos ao ensaio de flexão de três pontos para determinação da resistência flexural. Resultado: a análise dos dados demonstrou que o fator material (<0.0001) e o fator termociclagem (p=0.0096) influenciaram a resistência flexural, entretanto, a interação entre os dois fatores não (p=0.9728). Conclusão: deste modo podemos concluir que a resina para impressão 3D apresentou desempenho inferior às resinas acrílicas, especialmente quando submetida a termociclagem.