Mechanical Properties of Fused Deposition Modeling of Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and Interest for Dental Restorations: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The aim of this systematic review was to determine the optimal printing parameters for the producing of fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D-printed polyetheretherketone (PEEK) elements with mechanical properties suitable for dental restorations. Indeed, the mechanical properties are a critical prerequisite for the study of other parameters, such as physical, aesthetic and biological properties. An exhaustive electronic search was carried out in the PubMed, Embase and Web of knowledge databases to gather all the studies evaluating the influence of the printing parameters on the obtained mechanical properties of FDM 3D-printed PEEK elements were selected. Initially, the search resulted in 614 eligible papers. Independent screenings of the abstracts were performed by two authors to identify the articles related to the question. Twenty-nine studies were selected, of which eleven were further excluded after reading of the full text, and finally, eighteen articles were included in this review. The studies were difficult to compare due to the variability of the printing parameters and the types of PEEK. However, it seems interesting to use a high infill rate, a high chamber temperature close to that of the printing temperature and a heat post-treatment to obtain 3D PEEK elements presenting properties adapted to use as dental restorations. The analysis of the available literature suggested that the properties of PEEK could make it an interesting material in dental restorations to be performed with FDM additive manufacturing.