Investigation of the marginal fit of a 3D-printed three-unit resin prosthesis with different build orientations and layer thicknesses.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the marginal fit of three-unit resin prostheses printed with the stereolithography (SLA) method in two build orientations (45°, 60°) and two layer thicknesses (50 µm, 100 µm).

Materials and methods: A master model for a three-unit resin prosthesis was designed with two implant abutments. Forty specimens were printed using an SLA 3D printer. The specimens were printed with two build orientations (45°, 60°), and each orientation was printed with two layer thicknesses (50 µm, 100 µm). The marginal fit was measured as the marginal gap (MG) and absolute marginal discrepancy (AMD), and MG and AMD measurements were performed at 8 points per abutment, for 16 points per specimen. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was separately performed on the MG and AMD values of the build orientations and layer thicknesses. Moreover, one-way ANOVA was performed for each point within each group.

Results: The margins of the area adjacent to the pontic showed significantly high values, and the values were smaller when the build orientation was 45° than when it was 60°. However, the margin did not differ significantly according to the layer thicknesses.

Conclusion: The marginal fit of the three-unit resin prosthesis fabricated by the SLA 3D method was affected by the pontic. Moreover, the marginal fit was affected by the build orientation. The 45° build orientation is recommended.