Review on additive manufacturing of dental materials

Additive manufacturing (AM) for dental materials can produce more complex forms than conventional manufacturing methods. Compared to milling processing, AM consumes less equipment and materials, making sustainability an advantage. AM can be categorized into 7 types. Polymers made by vat polymerization are the most suitable material for AM due to superior mechanical properties and internal fit compared to conventional self-polymerizing methods. However, polymers are mainly used as provisional restoration due to their relatively low mechanical strength. Metal AM uses powder bed fusion methods and has higher fracture toughness and density than castings, but has higher residual stress, which requires research on post-processing methods to remove them. AM for ceramic use vat polymerization of materials mixed with ceramic powder and resin polymer. The ceramic materials for AM needs complex post-processing such as debinding of polymer and sintering. The low mechanical strength and volumetric accuracy of the products made by AM must be improved to be commercialized. AM requires more research to find the most suitable fabrication process conditions, as the mechanical properties and surface of any material will vary depending on the processing condition. (J Dent Rehabil Appl Sci 2021;37(1):1-15)