Journal of Prosthodontics News
Color Reproduction Trueness of 3D Printed Full-Color Dental Casts with Scans
Now online in the Journal of Prosthodontics, a report on color reproduction in 3D printed dental casts co-authored by ACP Fellows, Amal Alfaraj, BDS, MSD and Wei-Shao Lin, DDS, PhD, MBA.
The use of an intraoral scanner that captures color information of intraoral conditions, combined with an MJ 3D printer for creating full-color dental casts, is a novel concept. While it can provide dental laboratory technicians with essential references for the characterization of prostheses, there are not many studies discussing color reproduction accuracy.
This study evaluated the effects of shade tab color variations (tooth-colored vs. gingiva-colored) and surface treatment (application of mineral oil) on the trueness of color reproduction from dental shade tabs to 3D printed full-color dental casts, using digital scans obtained from an intraoral scanner.
Tooth-colored and gingiva-colored shade guides were digitally scanned using an intraoral scanner, and subsequently, 3D printed replicas were created using a full-color material jetting 3D printer. Three color measurements using a contact type digital spectrophotometer were recorded, including actual shade tabs (R0), dried 3D printed study samples (RP1), and study samples with mineral oil application (RP2), to calculate color differences between the actual shade tabs and 3D printed ones.
The results of the studies revealed that both the material color of the 3D printed object (tooth-colored and gingiva-colored) and surface treatment (with and without mineral oil application) affect the final color of the 3D printed object.
All 3D printed full-color samples exhibited unacceptable mismatches when compared to their target objects. This underscores the need for future improvement in the digital color data acquisition process and color optimization protocols in 3D printing processes.
Alfaraj A, Lin W-S. Color reproduction trueness of 3D printed full-color dental casts with scans derived from an intraoral scanner. J Prosthodont. 2024; 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.13821
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