Dental 3D-Printing: Transferring Art from the Laboratories to the Clinics

Abstract

The rise of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has changed the face of dentistry over the past decade. 3D printing is a versatile technique that allows the fabrication of fully automated, tailor-made treatment plans, thereby delivering personalized dental devices and aids to the patients. It is highly efficient, reproducible, and provides fast and accurate results in an affordable manner. With persistent efforts among dentists for refining their practice, dental clinics are now acclimatizing from conventional treatment methods to a fully digital workflow to treat their patients. Apart from its clinical success, 3D printing techniques are now employed in developing haptic simulators, precise models for dental education, including patient awareness. In this narrative review, we discuss the evolution and current trends in 3D printing applications among various areas of dentistry. We aim to focus on the process of the digital workflow used in the clinical diagnosis of different dental conditions and how they are transferred from laboratories to clinics. A brief outlook on the most recent manufacturing methods of 3D printed objects and their current and future implications are also discussed.

Keywords: 3D printing; additive manufacturing; dentistry; digital diagnosis.

Figure 1

Digital workflow of dental diagnosis and treatment using CAD/CAM and 3D printing technology.

Figure 2

(A) Prototype representations of Stereolithography (SLA/SLG) 3D printing method, adapted from the dental.formlabs website [18] and (B) Fused deposition modelling (FDM) printing technique. Image reprinted with permission from Carneiro et al. [17].

Figure 3

(A) CT of skull with osteoradionecrosis (B) 3D printed surgical guides used to guide osteotomies to obtain fibula from patient’s leg. (C) Surgical guide with harvested bone. (D) Surgical reconstruction of the jaws using scanning and 3D modelling. Image reprinted with permission from Ganry L et al. [99].

Figure 4

(A) Pre-operative condition- Intra-oral, (B) Panoramic radiograph, (C,D) Screw retained framework, maxillary and mandibular respectively, (E) Intraoral view of definitive prosthesis in place, (F) Panoramic radiograph after treatment. Images re-printed with permission from Wang et al. [119].