Digital dentures can be fabricated by subtractive milling or, more recently, by 3D-printing technology. Several different 3D-printing technologies and materials are commercially available, and the differences in printing accuracy and mechanical behavior among them are unknown.
Aim: This study evaluated the printing accuracy of 3D-printed denture base resins and assessed their flexural properties when compared with conventional heat-polymerized ones.
Methods: A total of 40 acrylic specimens were prepared with four different materials: three 3D-printed resins, and a conventional heat polymerized resin was used as a control. The printing accuracy was evaluated by calculating the error rate of 3D-printed specimens compared with dimensions of the virtual design. Flexural strength and elastic modulus were assessed with a universal testing machine. One-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for analysis.
Results: Printing accuracy across the tested materials was statistically different. Specimen length showed error rates between 1.3% and 2.4%, specimen width had error rates between 0.2% and 0.7%, and specimen thickness had error rates between 0.2% and 0.6%. Three-dimensional-printed specimens had lower flexural strength and elastic modulus values when compared with heat-polymerized specimens.
Conclusions: The choice of material seems to influence printing accuracy, and to a lesser extent, flexural strength. However, it has no effect on the elastic modulus.
Keywords: 3D printing; dental prosthesis; dimensional accuracy; flexural strength.