Abstract
Abstract
Background
With the advancement of technology for digitally fabricated removable dental prostheses, protocols for the disinfection of three-dimensional (3D)-printed dentures are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to assess and compare the effects of different disinfection protocols on the flexural strength (FS) of 3D-printed denture base resins.
Materials and methods
A total of 200 bar-shaped samples (64 × 10 × 3.3 mm) were fabricated via two types of 3D-printed denture base resins: DentaBase (DB) and Denture 3D+ (D). According to the disinfectant method, each resin sample was divided into five groups (
n
= 20). The samples were then further subdivided based on the duration of disinfection, either 90 days or 180 days. One control group was kept in water, while the other four groups were disinfected using a effervescent denture cleanser tablets (EDC), microwave (MW), ultraviolet light (UV), or ultrasonic (US). The flexural strength (FS) was measured. The collected data were statistically analyzed via three-way ANOVA, and post hoc Tukey’s test was used for data analysis (α = 0.05).
Results
For Denture 3D+, FT significantly reduced FS at 90- and 180-day intervals (
p
p
p
p
p
p
= 0.22).
Conclusion
UV disinfection proved to be the most suitable method for maintaining the mechanical integrity of 3D-printed denture base resins, while chemical, microwave, and ultrasonic methods should be used with caution due to their deteriorating effects on flexural strength.