Effect of Printing Layer Thickness on Optical Properties and Surface Roughness of 3D-Printed Resins: An In Vitro Study

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the impact of printing layer thickness on the optical properties and surface roughness of various 3D-printed resins manufactured by digital light processing (DLP) and indicated for provisional and definitive restorations. Materials and Methods: A total of 240 specimens from four different 3D-printing resins-VarseoSmile Crown Plus (Bego; VS), Crowntec (Saremco Dental; CR), GC Temp PRINT (GC Dental; TG), and NextDent C&B MFH (NextDent; ND)-were divided into four groups (n = 60 per group). Each group was further divided into three subgroups (n = 20) according to printing layer thickness (25, 50, and 100 μm). All specimens were subjected to thermocycling with coffee before measurements were taken with a spectroradiometer to calculate color differences. The Kubelka-Munk (K-M) absorption (K) and scattering coefficients (S), translucency parameters (TP), and surface roughness (Ra) values were calculated for each printing layer thickness and compared with those of the 2M2 shade tab (target). The data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test, the variance accounted for (VAF) coefficient by Cauchy-Schwarz, and post hoc comparisons using Tukey test (α ≤ .05). Results: S (79% ≤ VAF ≤ 100%) and K (40.45% ≤ VAF ≤ 100%) spectral distribution depended on the wavelength. A 25-μm layer thickness resulted in no significant differences from the 2M2 shade for S (P > .230) and K (P > .200). VS showed significantly different S (P = .004) and K (P = .003) values from those of the shade tab with 50-μm layering thickness, whereas other materials did not show significant differences from the 2M2 shade for S (P > .280) and K (P > .301). The 100-μm layer thickness specimens had significantly different S and K values compared to the 2M2 shade tab (P < .004). TP values of resins with 100-μm layer thickness were significantly lower than resins in 25-and 50-μm layer thicknesses (P < .001). The Ra values of resins increased significantly with 100-μm layer thickness (P ≤ .001). Conclusions: All tested materials, except for VS, showed color properties similar to the target shade when 25-and 50-μm printing layer thicknesses were used. The translucency of resins tended toward an inverse relationship with printing layer thickness. The surface roughness of resins increased significantly with 100-μm layer thickness. However, all resins with a printing thickness of 25 μm showed better color properties and surface roughness. Int J Prosthodont 2024;37(suppl):s165-s173.