Effect of aging and mechanical brushing on surface roughness of 3D printed denture resins: A profilometer and scanning electron microscopy analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The use of 3D printed material in the dental field is gaining tremendous attention. However, studies related to 3D printed denture resins are scarce and need consideration before their inclusion in routine clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE:

This study aimed to assess the surface roughness (Ra) of 3D printed denture resins following aging and mechanical brushing.

METHODS:

Forty round samples (diameter, 10 mm and thickness, 3 mm) were fabricated from two 3D printed (DentaBASE and Denture 3D+) and one conventional polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) denture materials. The samples were thermo-cycled, subjected to mechanical brushing, and later immersed in either artificial saliva (AS), coffee, cola, or lemon juice ( $n=$ 10) to simulate one and two years of oral use. Surface roughness (Ra) was determined using a non-contact profilometer and scanning electron microscope was used for qualitative analysis. The data was analyzed using SPSS v.20 ( $\alpha =$ 0.05).

RESULTS:

Denture 3D+ demonstrated highest mean Ra (1.15 $\pm$ 0.28 $\mu$ m), followed by PMMA (0.99 $\pm$ 0.50 $\mu$ m) and DentaBASE (0.81 $\pm$ 24). The difference in mean Ra between the materials was statistically non-significant ( $P=$ 0.08). Amongst the different beverages used, the highest Ra was observed for samples immersed in lemon juice (1.06 $\pm$ 0.40 $\mu$ m) followed by cola (1.04 $\pm$ 0.46 $\mu$ m) and coffee (0.98 $\pm$ 0.40 $\mu$ m), respectively. The lowest Ra was observed for samples immersed in AS (0.85 $\pm$ 0.24 $\mu$ m).

CONCLUSION:

The surface roughness of 3D printed denture resins was comparable with that of conventional PMMA resins. Denture 3D+ demonstrated the highest mean roughness, followed by PMMA and DentaBASE.