Comparative Evaluation of Three-dimensional-printed and Conventional Heat-cure Polymethyl Methacrylate Denture Base Materials
Abdulrahman Mohammed Alduhailan, Pranjan Mitra, Veeriah Chowdary Jasthi, Girish Meravanige, Sreeharsha Nagaraja, Arpita Mohapatra, Ahmad Saib JameelAbstract
Introduction:
The introduction of three-dimensional (3D) printing in prosthodontics has revolutionized denture fabrication. However, the concerns remain regarding the mechanical and physicochemical properties of 3D-printed polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) in comparison to conventional materials. This research was done to evaluate and compare the physicochemical and mechanical properties of a novel 3D-printed PMMA-based denture base material with conventional heat-polymerized PMMA.
Materials and Methods:
An
Results:
Group II demonstrated significantly higher mechanical properties, including flexural strength (92.63 ± 7.54 MPa), hardness (22.74 ± 2.01 VHN), and impact strength (4.05 ± 0.52 kJ/m
2
) compared to Group I. Conversely, Group I exhibited higher surface roughness (0.42 ± 0.06 μm), water sorption (28.75 ± 3.21 μg/mm
3
), and solubility (2.94 ± 0.51 μg/mm
3
). All differences were statistically highly significant (
Conclusion:
Although 3D-printed PMMA offers advantages in digital dentistry, its inferior mechanical properties and higher degradation potential limit its current clinical applicability.