Influence of conventional and AI-assisted dental CAD software and 3D printing technology on the intaglio surface trueness of interim crowns.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the trueness of intaglio surfaces in single interim crowns, an in vitro approach was used to test different combinations of CAD software and 3D printing techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A maxillary first molar typodont model was utilized, and the scanning of the abutment was performed via a desktop scanner. A single interim crown was designed using one conventional dental CAD software and two artificial intelligence (AI)-based CAD software programs. Each design file was fabricated with three 3D printing technologies: digital light processing (DLP), stereolithography (SLA), and masked stereolithography (MSLA), yielding 15 crowns per group and a total of 135 interim crowns. The fabricated crowns were scanned with a desktop scanner and superimposed onto the CAD reference model to evaluate intaglio surface trueness. Trueness was quantified using root mean square (RMS) values, positive mean error (AVG), and negative mean error (-AVG). Statistical analyses were performed using one-way and two-way ANOVA with Tukey post hoc tests (α = 0.05), and effect sizes (η2) were calculated. RESULTS: Among the dental CAD software programs, only -AVG showed a significant difference (P < .05), whereas RMS and AVG did not differ significantly (P > .05). All parameters (RMS, AVG, -AVG) showed significant differences among the three 3D printers. No significant interaction was found between 3D printer type and dental CAD software for any parameter. CONCLUSION: For the production of single interim crowns, the specific type of 3D printer was found to be a more significant determinant of intaglio surface trueness than the selection of dental CAD software.