Journal Article

Impact of 3D printing orientation on accuracy, properties, cost, and time efficiency of additively manufactured dental models: a systematic review

Almuzaini, Sarah A., Alghauli, Mohammed Ahmed, Aljohani, Rola, Alqutaibi, Ahmed Yaseen

2024

Overview

Background The evidence on the effect of printing orientation on dimensional accuracy and properties of resinous dental models is unclear. This systematic review aimed to assess the impact of printing orientation on the accuracy and properties of additively manufactured resinous dental models, besides the cost, material consumption, and time efficiency at different orientations. Methods A comprehensive web search (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane) was performed in July 2024 without language restrictions. The included studies were assessed using the modified consort statement for laboratory studies on dental materials. The outcomes were accuracy and surface quality, besides the cost and time efficiency of additively manufactured dental models printed in different directions. Results Following PRISMA guidelines, 14 records were included. Most records favored horizontally printed models with minor controversies regarding accuracy, material consumption, time, and cost efficiency. While orientation can influence surface quality, it is often more significantly affected by factors such as the printing technology used, the material properties, and the layer thickness. Conclusions Horizontal orientation has proven to be the most efficient for producing dental models, particularly for single-model manufacturing, due to its superior time and cost savings. However, large-scale and overnight massive production favors the vertical orientation since the platform accommodates twice to triple the models' numbers as horizontal orientation. The majority of studies favor horizontal orientation for its accuracy. Choosing the optimal orientation in additive manufacturing not only ensures precision of dental models, improving the fit of restorations and prostheses, but also leads to significant reductions in production time, material usage, and energy consumption, ultimately minimizing environmental impact. Trial registration Not applicable.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: 3-D printers / 3D printing / Accuracy / Accuracy and precision / Additive manufacturing / Bias / Biological models / Build-up angle / Citation management software / Cost-Benefit Analysis / Dental Materials - economics / Dental models / Dental research / Dentistry / Efficiency / Environmental impact / Evidence-based dentistry / Humans / Medicine / Methods / Models, Dental / Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery / Polymerization / Printing direction / Printing, Three-Dimensional / Prostheses / Prosthetics / Resin material / Resins / Search strategies / Surface quality / Systematic Review / Time Factors