Precision in dentistry: how PLA 3D printing settings influence model accuracy.

Purpose: Advancements in computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), such as intraoral scanners, digital treatment planning, and 3D printers, offer digital alternatives to conventional orthodontics. For transforming digital data into a traditional model, precise 3D printing technologies are necessary. With numerous settings available on each 3D printer, selecting the most precise one is challenging. Therefore, the impact of layer height, printing temperature, print speed, and infill density on the accuracy of dental models was analyzed in this study.

Methods: A 3D file of a right upper central incisor was designed and printed 275 times in total with different settings for temperature, layer height, print speed, and infill density by using polylactic acid (PLA) filament on an industrial 3D printer. After scanning the models, root mean square error was calculated for analysis of precision. For each group, R² value was calculated and linear regression as well as an ANOVA was performed for the factors influencing accuracy.

Results: Printing temperature as well as layer height had statistically significant impacts on printing 3D tooth models (p < 0.05). R² values of 0.43 for printing temperature as well as of 0.11 for layer height were detected. The infill density as well as the print speed had no statistically significant impacts on accuracy (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: This study confirms that choosing the correct printing temperature and layer height for printing dental models with PLA is important for obtaining good accuracy, whereas print speed and infill density have less of an impact.