Physicomechanical and biological properties of additively manufactured photosensitive resins for provisional crowns using affordable LCD printer.

INTRODUCTION

Digital technologies and additive manufacturing are transforming restorative dentistry by enabling the production of highly customized provisional crowns using cost-effective methods.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the physicomechanical and biological properties of photosensitive resins designed for Digital Light Processing (DLP) printers when used to fabricate provisional restorations with an affordable Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) printer.

METHODOLOGY: Three resins - NextDent C&B (ND), Cosmos Temp (CT), and Prizma BioProv (PB) - were tested and compared against bis-acryl (BR) and self-cure PMMA (SA) controls. Evaluated properties included flexural strength, elastic modulus (immediate, 30, and 90 days), Knoop microhardness, radiopacity, surface roughness, water sorption, solubility, and dimensional accuracy. Biological assessment employed L929 fibroblast cell viability at 1, 7, and 14 days. Data were analyzed using One-way or Two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (p<0.05).

RESULTS

CT exhibited the highest flexural strength, elastic modulus, and Knoop microhardness, alongside the lowest surface roughness, water sorption, and solubility compared to all other materials. ND showed lower surface roughness than controls but higher water sorption. PB presented mechanical properties comparable to those of the controls, but with higher roughness and solubility. All 3D-printed resins exhibited low radiopacity, and, with the exception of BR, cell viability decreased significantly for all materials up to day 14.

CONCLUSION

Selected photosensitive resins processed via an affordable LCD printer showed physicomechanical performance comparable to traditional bis-acryl and PMMA resins in fabricating provisional crowns. However, the low radiopacity observed for all 3D-printed materials and the time-dependent decrease in cell viability represent limitations that warrant further investigation.