3D printing in dentistry

• Published in: British dental journal Vol. 219; no. 11; pp. 521 - 529
• Main Authors: Dawood, A., Marti, B. Marti, Sauret-Jackson, V., Darwood, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 11.12.2015; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/700/3032/3059; 692/700/3032/3099/3106; 692/700/3032/3099/3110; Computer-Aided Design; Dental Implants; Dental Instruments; Dental Prosthesis Design - instrumentation; Dental Prosthesis Design - methods; Dental Restoration, Permanent - instrumentation; Dental Restoration, Permanent - methods; Dentistry; Dentistry - methods; Humans; Medicine; practice; Printing, Three-Dimensional
• ISSN: 0007-0610; 1476-5373; 1476-5373
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2015.914

Key Points Discusses the latest technologies in 3D imaging and printing that can be applied in dentistry. Suggests these technologies could be used in daily practice. 3D printing has been hailed as a disruptive technology which will change manufacturing. Used in aerospace, defence, art and design, 3D printing is becoming a subject of great interest in surgery. The technology has a particular resonance with dentistry, and with advances in 3D imaging and modelling technologies such as cone beam computed tomography and intraoral scanning, and with the relatively long history of the use of CAD CAM technologies in dentistry, it will become of increasing importance. Uses of 3D printing include the production of drill guides for dental implants, the production of physical models for prosthodontics, orthodontics and surgery, the manufacture of dental, craniomaxillofacial and orthopaedic implants, and the fabrication of copings and frameworks for implant and dental restorations. This paper reviews the types of 3D printing technologies available and their various applications in dentistry and in maxillofacial surgery.