Effect of artificial aging and different surface finishing protocols on the flexural strength and surface hardness of a photopolymer for manufacturing monolithic polychromatic complete dentures using PolyJet 3D printing.

Purpose: This study evaluated the effect of thermocycling and three different surface finishing protocols on the flexural strength and surface hardness of a novel photopolymer intended for manufacturing monolithic polychromatic dental prostheses using PolyJet 3D printing.

Materials and methods: A total of 90 specimens were manufactured using a photopolymer for 3D printing monolithic polychromatic dental prostheses using PolyJet technology (TrueDent; Stratasys USA). The specimens were divided into three groups (n = 30) according to the surface finishing protocol used: The control group Pumice+Moldent (Pumice), Pumice+Optiglaze (Optiglaze), and Polycril+Moldent (Polycril). Half of the specimens of each group (n = 15) were subjected to 5000 thermocycles (Thermocycling Unit OMC350TSX; Odeme Dental Research, Santa Catarina, Brazil), The other half was stored in distilled water at room temperature for 7 days before testing. The flexural strength of the specimens was assessed in a universal testing machine (MTS Sintech ReNew; MTS Systems Corp, Aiden Prairie, MN), and the Vicker's surface hardness was evaluated with a microhardness tester (Micro indentation Hardness Tester LM247AT; Leco Instruments Ltd, Ontario, Canada). The resulting data was analyzed using two-way ANOVA tests, and Fisher's protected least significant differences (α = 0.05) in a professional statistical analysis computer program (SAS v9.4, SAS Institute, Cary, NC) RESULTS: The two-way ANOVA tests suggested a statistically significant effect of thermocycling and the surface finishing protocol on the flexural strength (p = 0.01) but without significant interaction between both independent variables (p = 0.18). The post hoc analysis revealed no significant differences in the flexural strength between groups without thermocycling (p > 0.05). Thermocycling decreased the flexural strength of all groups (p < 0.05), and the Optiglaze group exhibited significantly higher flexural strength than the Polycril and Pumice groups after thermocycling (p < 0.01). Regarding the surface hardness, the two-way ANOVA indicated a significant 2-way interaction between thermocycling and the surface of the finishing protocol (p = 0.01). The post hoc analysis showed that the Optiglaze group had significantly higher hardness than the other groups, both before and after thermocycling (p < 0.01) After thermocycling, a significant decrease in surface hardness was observed in the Polycril and Pumice groups (p < 0.01).

Conclusions: Surface finishing protocols and artificial aging can affect the surface hardness and flexural strength of the dental prostheses manufactured using the photopolymer studied. Careful polishing and surface finishing are required to ensure favorable clinical performance. Coating with a photopolymerizable glaze material seems to be a favorable surface treatment for monolithic polychromatic complete dentures fabricated using PolyJet 3D printing.