Microplastics and orthodontic aligners: The concerns arising from the modernization of practice through polymers and plastics.

Plastic aligners have transformed orthodontics, offering a discreet, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing alternative to traditional fixed appliances. While they have advantages over fixed appliances, they come with environmental and health concerns due to the use of nonbiodegradable plastics, such as the leaching of Bisphenol-A (BPA) and microplastics that can impact human health directly through ingestion. Studies have shown that plastic aligners release microplastics during use, raising concerns about their potential health effects and environmental pollution.

Effect of printing orientation on mechanical properties of 3D-printed orthodontic aligners.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess differences in the fundamental mechanical properties of resin-made three-dimensional (3D) printed orthodontic aligners according to the printing orientation.

Methods: Twenty resin 3D-printed dumbbell-shaped specimens and 20 orthodontic aligners were fabricated and postcured in nitrogen. Half of the specimens and aligners were built in horizontal (H), the other half in vertical (V) directions.

Effect of heat treatment and nitrogen atmosphere during post-curing on mechanical properties of 3D-printed orthodontic aligners.

Objectives: Three-dimensional (3D)-printed aligners present a promising orthodontic treatment modality, whose clinical success largely depends on the material's mechanical properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mechanical properties of resin-made 3D-printed aligners and assess the effect of two different post-curing conditions.

Materials And Methods: Forty dumbbell-shaped specimens and 40 resin aligners were 3D-printed and divided into four equal groups according to post-curing conditions: presence or absence of oxygen during post-curing and water heat treatment at 85°C for 15 s or none.

From biomimetics to smart materials and 3D technology: Applications in orthodontic bonding, debonding, and appliance design or fabrication.

This review covers aspects of orthodontic materials, appliance fabrication and bonding, crossing scientific fields and presenting recent advances in science and technology. Its purpose is to familiarize the reader with developments on these issues, indicate possible future applications of such pioneering approaches, and report the current status in orthodontics. The first section of this review covers shape-memory polymer wires, several misconceptions arising from the recent introduction of novel three-dimensional (3D)-printed aligners (mistakenly termed shape-memory polymers only because they present a certain degree of rebound capacity, as most non-stiff alloys or polymers do), frictionless surfaces enabling resistance-less sliding, self-healing materials for effective handling of fractured plastic/ceramic brackets, self-cleaning materials to minimize microbial attachment or plaque build-up on orthodontic appliances, elastomers with reduced force relaxation and extended stretching capacity to address the problem of inadequate force application during wire-engagement in the bracket slot, biomimetic (non-etching mediated) adhesive attachment to surfaces based on the model of the gecko and the mussel, and command-debond adhesives as options for an atraumatic debonding.

In-office Customized Brackets: Aligning with the Future.

Digital technology introduced many innovations in the field of dentistry and orthodontics in the last years. The most important advancement was the ability to digitize the oral cavity using intraoral scanners. CAD software have been around for decades, but only in the last twenty years started showing up in the field of dentistry and orthodontics.

Directly Printed Aligner: Aligning with the Future.

Orthodontics stands on a junction where traditional analog appliance manufacturing slowly but steadily changes to a digital one with the use of 3D technology. The main cause of this shift was the invention and use of computers. The use of computers, computer-aided design (CAD) software, computerized machines, and newly invented materials allowed this change to occur in a relatively short time in dentistry and orthodontics.

Fracture toughness and hardness of in-office, 3D-printed ceramic brackets.

Objectives: Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is a promising manufacturing technique for fabricating ceramic brackets. The aim of this research was to assess fundamental mechanical properties of in-office, 3D printed ceramic brackets.

Materials And Methods: 3D-printed zirconia brackets, commercially available polycrystalline alumina ceramic brackets (Clarity, 3 M St.

In vivo aging-induced surface roughness alterations of Invisalign and 3D-printed aligners.

Objective: To assess the surface roughness of in-house 3D-printed orthodontic aligners compared with Invisalign appliances, both retrieved as well as in the 'as-received' control status.

Design: An in vitro study following intra-oral material aging.

Setting And Participants: Twelve clinically used Invisalign appliances and the same number of 3D-printed aligners, without involvement of attachments, were obtained from a respective number of patients.

In-house three-dimensional designing and printing customized brackets.

Digital technology is one of the major advancements during the past years that changed many aspects of our daily life. Medicine and dentistry were positively affected from the very first years of this digital evolution. Orthodontics is not an exception to this global digitization.

Leaching from a 3D-printed aligner resin.

Aim: To quantitatively assess the degree of conversion and the water-leaching targeted compound from 3D-printed aligners.

Materials And Methods: 3D-printed aligners were made of photopolymerized resin (Tera Harz TC85A). The molecular structure and degree of conversion of the set resin were investigated by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy (n = 5).

Mechanical and electrochemical characterization of 3D printed orthodontic metallic appliances after in vivo ageing.

Objectives: Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is a promising technique for fabricating custom orthodontic metallic appliances. Aim of this study was to assess the effect of intraoral aging on the mechanical / electrochemical properties of 3D-printed orthodontic metallic appliances.

Methods: Twelve molar orthodontic distalization appliances 3D-printed from cobalt chromium (Co-Cr) alloy were retrieved after intraoral use and twenty blocks fabricated under similar conditions were used as control.

Three-Dimensional-Printed Customized Orthodontic and Pedodontic Appliances: A Critical Review of a New Era for Treatment.

Unlabelled: Three-dimensional (3D) designing and manufacturing technology is a direct derivative of digital technology. Three-dimensional volume and surface acquisition, CAD software, and 3D manufacturing are major changes included in daily practice in many orthodontic and pedodontic offices. Customized appliances can be designed using dental CAD software or general-purpose CAD software in the office or a laboratory.

Three-Dimensional Printing Technology in Orthodontics for Dental Models: A Systematic Review.

Background: Three-dimensional printing technology is an additive manufacturing technology that is used to reconstruct 3D objects. In the last decade, it has been rapidly involved in dentistry and in orthodontics. This article aims to review the literature and present the accuracy of different 3D printer types and any factors that could affect the 3D printing of dental models in the orthodontic field.

Cytotoxicity and estrogenicity of a novel 3-dimensional printed orthodontic aligner.

Introduction: Orthodontic aligners printed with in-office 3-dimensional (3D) procedures have been described, but no data on their biocompatibility exist. This study investigates the cytotoxicity and estrogenicity of a 3D-printed orthodontic aligner by assessing its biological and behavioral effects.

Methods: Ten sets of 1 type of aligner were immersed in sterile deionized water for 14 days, and the cytotoxicity and estrogenicity of released factors were assessed via MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assays on human gingival fibroblasts and the estrogen-sensitive MCF-7 and the estrogen-insensitive MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines.

New aesthetic in-house 3D-printed brackets: proof of concept and fundamental mechanical properties.

Objectives: Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is an emerging manufacturing process for many orthodontic appliances, and the aim of this study was to evaluate the mechanical properties of resin-based materials as alternatives for the in-house preparation of orthodontic brackets.

Material And Methods: Two types of 3D printed resins used for temporary (T) and permanent (P) crown fabrication were included in this study. Ten blocks from each resin were manufactured by a 3D printer and, after embedding them in acrylic resin, the samples were subjected to metallographic grinding and polishing, followed by instrumented indentation testing (IIT).

Comparative analysis of mechanical properties of orthodontic aligners produced by different contemporary 3D printers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the mechanical properties of orthodontic aligners among different commercially available 3D printing devices.

Materials And Methods: Five 3D printers (Ka:rv LP 550, Swinwon; "KAR"), (L120, Dazz 3D; "L12"), (MiiCraft 125, Miicraft Jena; "MIC"), (Slash 2, Uniz; "SLS") and (Pro 95, SprintRay; "PRO") were used to prepare orthodontic aligners with dental resin (Tera Harz TC-85DAW, Graphy). The central incisors of each aligner were cut, prepared and evaluated in terms of Martens-Hardness (HM), indentation-modulus (E ) and elastic-index (η ) as per ISO14577-1:2002.

In-house 3D-printed aligners: effect of in vivo ageing on mechanical properties.

Objective: To investigate alterations in the mechanical properties of in-house three-dimensional (3D) printed orthodontic aligners after intraoral ageing.

Materials And Methods: Sixteen 3D-printed aligners (TC-85DAC resin, Graphy, Seoul, Korea) were used for the purpose of the study, which were divided into 10 control (not used) aligners and 6 materials retrieved from 4 patients after 1-week service (retrieved group). Samples from the control group were analysed by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy.

Digital assessment of direct and virtual indirect bonding of orthodontic brackets: A clinical prospective cross-sectional comparative investigation.

Objective: The objective of this report is to use in orthodontic patients the methods of virtual indirect bonding and direct bonding using eye vision or loupes in order to compare their accuracy in the three dimensions of space.

Material And Methods: Brackets were directly placed by one clinician to 18 patients with a total number of 298 permanent teeth. Then loupes were used to improve bracket positioning.