Three-dimensional printing in dentistry: a pilot study

The diffusion of digital dentistry is on the rise with the use of three-dimensional printing, and its use could make a significant contribution to the field of dentistry, even though health professionals rarely use 3D technology. The proposed experimental study used three-dimensional (3D) images obtained by downloading them from a free dental image repository to evaluate their reproduction on a printed model. The digital images were measured using the Meshmixer software and the printed teeth were measured using a digital caliper. Five teeth were printed (incisors, canines, premolars, and molars) and five evaluations were carried out: total tooth length, crown and root length, mésio-distal distance at the cervical and incisal heights, and the distance from the crown to the furcation region. It was found that the measurements varied minimally, demonstrating that there is anatomical precision, but there is a need for further studies using different 3D printing technologies.