Dimensional Stability of CAD/CAM Patterns: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the accuracy, over time, of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufactured (CAD/CAM) dental patterns in two different materials (resin and wax) using two different fabrication methods (subtractive and additive manufacturing). The intaglio surface of the patterns (n=48/time period) were evaluated at five predetermined time periods (zero minutes, 20 minutes, 24 hours, one week, and two weeks) relative to fabrication time. Intaglio surface scans of the generated samples were aligned with the Best Fit alignment to the design file (.stl) and compared with 3D Compare on Geomagic Control X to obtain the deviations as a root mean square (RMS). Trueness of the patterns were compared at all time points using three-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) (=.05). Accuracy of dental patterns deteriorated over time. When materials were considered, wax had better dimensional stability than resin. When fabrication method was considered, milled patterns had better dimensional stability than printed patterns. Time, material type, fabrication method, and all their interactions, showed a significant effect, however, the differences were very small (ranging from <1 m to 20 m). Thus, both resin and wax CAD/CAM patterns fabricated by additive and subtractive manufacturing can be used to produce dental restorations with acceptable accuracy.