In vitro evaluation of marginal and internal adaptation of three-unit fixed dental prostheses produced by stereolithography

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate, by measuring the gap, the possible clinical use of three-unit fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) manufactured using stereolithography. A total of 20 epoxy models were built with a same case (abutment teeth 14, 16). The 40 specimens were produced using the stereolithography (SLA) and wax-up (LW). The 960 gaps of the 40 specimens produced were measured by a silicone replica. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was then used to compare and analyze the data obtained from the two groups (alpha=0.05). The total gap, as measured from the SLA and LW groups, was 98.6 and 66.6 mu m, respectively. The results indicate that the gap in the SLA group is statistically significantly greater than that in the LW group (p<0.05). Further assessment and improvement of the SLA method for the fabrication of FDPs is evidently still required.