Development of a 3D-printable biocompatible resin for orthodontic aligners without bisphenol-A and heavy metal ions

Abstract

Objectives : In recent years, the application of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) to manufacture an aligner-type orthodontic appliance has been studied for orthodontic treatment. We have been working on developing new materials (epoxy biocomposite resin, EBR) for three-dimensional (3D) printers. Herein, we report the development of an improved material (modified epoxy biocomposite resin, mEBR) that has excellent mechanical strength and is not harmful to the body.

Materials and methods : mEBR was subjected to scanning electron microscopy, mechanical testing, and cytotoxicity testing and compared with EBR and commercially available materials.

Results : The mEBR showed a significantly higher value than the other samples in the 3-point bending test after water absorption of the sample, and a decrease in the relative colony formation rate was observed in the cytotoxicity test.

Conclusion : We suggest that mEBR can be clinically applied as an orthodontic material with improvements.