“Assessment of Aging in the Mechanical Properties of Resins for Three-Dimensional Printing of Occlusal Splints”
Occlusal splints; Bruxism; Three-dimensional impression
“Occlusal devices are used in dentistry to protect the teeth of patients with parafunctional habits, protect against excessive occlusal wear and alleviate the symptoms of painful temporomandibular disorders. Regardless of the material or technique used to manufacture occlusal devices, the material used must be able to meet the clinical parameters that enable its use and have appropriate mechanical properties preserved over time. The objective of this work is to evaluate the dimensional stability, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, surface roughness and microhardness after aging, of resins used for printing occlusal splints made by dental 3D printers. The groups were divided according to the height of the printing layer, 25µm and 50µm, and the samples were printed in sizes of 10x10x2.3mm, for the dimensional stability, roughness and surface microhardness test, and 25x2x2mm for the flexural resistance test and modulus of elasticity. The tests were carried out initially and at intervals of 30, 60, 90 and 180 days. The samples underwent aging in a bacteriological oven, immersed in distilled water at 37ºC. For surface microhardness, surface roughness and dimensional change (volume), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed with repeated measures of two factors (printing layer height and time) and, for flexural strength and modulus of elasticity, two-way ANOVA was performed (printing layer height and time), all of which were followed by the Tukey test, with a significance level of 5%. The results showed that the evaluation times influenced all properties investigated, but the height of the printing layer influenced the surface microhardness, flexural strength and elastic modulus. The highest Vickers microhardness and flexural strength values were presented by the group printed with 25 µm layer height. Considering the initial time and 180 days, there was a statistical difference in all properties, except dimensional change for the 25 µm group, and for the 50 µm group, there was a difference only in surface roughness. It is concluded that the mechanical properties evaluated, with the exception of the average roughness, change over time and that the layer height changes the properties studied.”