The Effects of Light Crystal Display 3D Printers, Storage Time and Steam Sterilization on the Dimensional Stability of a Photopolymer Resin for Surgical Guides: An In Vitro Study.

BACKGROUND

Implant surgical guides manufactured in-house using 3D printing technology are widely used in clinical practice to translate virtual planning to the operative field.

AIM: The present in vitro study investigated the dimensional changes of 3D surgical guides printed in-house using Shining 3D surgical guide resin (SG01).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Five test bodies, varying in shape and dimensions, were designed using computer-aided design (CAD) software and manufactured using three different Light Crystal Display (LCD) 3D printers (AccuFab-L4D, Elegoo Mars Pro 3, and Zortrax Inspire). Specific printing and post-processing parameters for the SG01 resin were set to produce 25 test bodies (5 of each shape) from each of the three printers, resulting in a total of 75 samples. The dimensional changes were evaluated using a digital calliper at four different time points: immediately after printing (T0), one month after storage (T1), immediately after sterilization (T2), and one month after sterilization (T3).

RESULTS

All the test bodies showed deviations from the overall CAD reference value of 12.25 mm after printing and post-processing (T0) and following steam sterilization (T2). Similar trends were observed for the effect of storage times at T1 and T3. The AccuFab prints demonstrated a better dimensional stability than the Elegoo and Zortrax samples.

CONCLUSIONS

The LCD 3D printers, sterilization, and storage times influenced the dimensional stability of the test bodies made with SGO1 resin.