Dental News - Researchers develop environment for manufacture of inexpensive 3-D dental models

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 29. August 2018

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TOKYO, Japan: In oral and maxillofacial surgery and other fields of dentistry, the use of 3-D patient-specific organ models is increasing, and this has raised the cost of obtaining them. To design and produce inexpensive patient-specific dental models, researchers at the Tokyo Dental College recently developed an environment they call the “one-stop 3D printing lab”.

The “one-stop 3D printing lab”, in imitation of the term “one-stop shop” as a business or office where multiple services are offered, is an environment that can complete everything, from design to fabricating, in one facility. One of its merits is that it is possible to fabricate the model while communicating with the surgeon to determine which parts are critical in the 3-D model.

In the process of experimentation, the researchers fabricated over 300 mandibular models from polylactic acid filaments. It was possible to quickly print a 3-D model while greatly reducing the cost burden using the low-cost desktop 3-D printer in the “one-stop 3D printing lab”. The results suggested that adjusting the laminating pitch (layer thickness) may lead to further reduction of model print time and cost. Furthermore, as the laminating pitch increased, no significant reduction in geometric accuracy was observed.

“Although it is a low-price desktop 3-D printer, we have created an environment to fabricate the practical 3-D models that seem necessary and sufficient for the daily clinical practice. The ‘one-stop 3D printing lab’ can complete the whole process, from designing to obtaining a model, within one facility,” said lead author Dr Takashi Kamio, assistant professor at the college’s Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

According to Kamio, the printing laboratory has many advantages for dentist and patients: “The costs for obtaining 3-D models is low, which is why these models can be applied to more cases. It is also easier to fabricate multiple 3-D models (for example according to the surgical technique). Presenting such a 3-D model to patients contributes to deepening their understanding of the process. Furthermore, it is very useful for the operator to visualise the teeth and the jawbone, and actually touch them.”

The study, titled “Utilizing a low-cost desktop 3D printer to develop a ‘one-stop 3D printing lab’ for oral and maxillofacial surgery and dentistry fields”, was published on 13 August 2018 in 3D Printing in Medicine.

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