Impact of Artificial Aging on the Physical and Mechanical Characteristics of Denture Base Materials Fabricated via 3D Printing

Abstract

Three‐dimensional (3D) printing is becoming more prevalent in the dental sector due to its potential to save time for dental practitioners, streamline fabrication processes, enhance precision and consistency in fabricating prosthetic models, and offer cost‐effective solutions. However, the effect of aging in artificial saliva of this type of material has not been explored. To assess the physical and mechanical properties of the two types of 3D‐printed materials before and after being subjected to artificial saliva, a total of 219 acrylic resin specimens were produced. These specimens were made with two types of 3D‐printed materials, namely, NextDent (ND) and Formlabs (FLs), and a Schottlander heat‐cured (HC) resin material that was used as a control. Water sorption and solubility specimens (n = 5) were tested after three months of storage in artificial saliva. Moreover, the Vickers hardness, Martens hardness, flexural strength/modulus, and impact strength were evaluated both under dry conditions and after three months of storage in artificial saliva. The degree of conversion (DC), elemental analysis, and filler content were also investigated. The ANOVA showed that 3D‐printed resins had significantly greater sorption than the control group (p < 0.05). However, the flexural strength values of the 3D‐printed materials were significantly greater (p < 0.05) than those of the heat‐cured material. The DC of the 3D‐printed resins was lower than that of the control group, but the difference was not significant (p > 0.05). The 3D‐printed materials contained significantly more filler than the control (p < 0.05). Moreover, the artificial saliva had a significant effect on the Vickers hardness for all tested groups and on the Martens hardness for the control group only (p < 0.05). Compared with conventional heat‐cured materials, 3D‐printed denture base materials demonstrated relatively poorer performance in terms of sorption, solubility, and DC but exhibited either comparable or superior mechanical properties. The aging process also influenced the Vickers and Martens’ hardness. The strength of the 3D‐printed materials was in compliance with ISO recommendations, and the materials could be used alongside conventional heat‐cured materials.