Article ID: JPR_D_25_00020
Purpose: To evaluate and compare the effect of bulb wall thickness and build angle on the trueness and weight of an open-hollow obturator fabricated using digital light processing (DLP) technology.
Methods: A 3D model of an edentulous maxillary jaw with an Aramany Class I defect was designed using computer-aided design (CAD) software, and 45 obturators with bulb wall thicknesses of 1, 2, and 3 mm were fabricated using a DLP printer at build angles of 0, 45, and 315 degrees, respectively. The weight of each obturator was measured. All obturators were scanned using cone-beam computed tomography, and the data were converted to the standard tessellation language format. The CAD and scanning data were superimposed for inspection. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s test.
Results: The two-way ANOVA showed a significant effect of the build angle on the denture base (P < 0.001); however, the bulb wall thickness had no significant effect (P = 0.73). Both the bulb wall thickness and build angle significantly affected the inner and outer bulb surfaces (P < 0.001), and a significant interaction between these factors was observed (P < 0.05). Significant differences were observed between bulbs (P < 0.001). Additionally, weight was significantly affected by both factors and their interactions (P < 0.001).
Conclusions: The bulb wall thickness and build angle significantly influenced the trueness and weight of the open-hollow DLP obturator, with the least error observed at a zero-degree build angle.
