Color Stability of 3D-Printed Dental Resins Following Different Surface Treatments

INTRODUCTION: Recent advancements in technologies, such as 3D printing, have been adopted in prosthodontics to streamline clinical procedures and provide high-quality prosthetic devices to patients within a reduced timeframe. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study primarily aimed to determine the color change levels of 3D-printed dental resins for temporary and long-term intraoral applications. We also evaluated the effectiveness of post-processing procedures such as polishing or glazing on color stability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three types of dental resins were tested in distilled water, coffee, and wine environments for 2, 7, 30, and 60 days. A spectrophotometric analysis was conducted, and the Ciede2000 formula was used to determine the DE. RESULTS: The material type, conditioning method, and storage time significantly affected the color changes of the tested materials. The post-processing technique had the most remarkable impact on color stability over time. CONCLUSIONS: Glazing of the 3D-printed material surface appears to be the most effective approach to prolong its clinical applicability by maintaining color stability.