3-D PRINTING AND ITS APPLICATION IN INTERDISCIPLINARY DENTISTRY – AN OVERVIEW

Dr. L. Krishna Prasada*, Dr. Gunjan Chawla, Dr. Safiya Nikhat

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION
3-D printing is basically a seamless collaboration of dentists, engineers, and technicians. In today’s era, customization and precision regarding patient care is of paramount importance. 3-D printing helps in providing exceptional dental care and treatment results with cutting- edge technology. Three-dimensional printing, often referred to as rapid prototyping or additive manufacturing, is a technology that is progressively becoming a part of daily life, and dentistry is no exception. The precision and ability to customize products made through 3D printing make it a perfect fit for the dental field. As stated by the International Organization for Standardization and the American Society for Testing Materials, 3D printing technologies work by adding material in successive layers based on a geometric design to create objects.[1] It allows dental practitioners, technicians, and engineers to combine their knowledge and yield customised solutions for patients. It provides unprecedented precision and efficiency in manufacturing patient-specific implants, crowns, and aligners by using combinations of digital scanning, CAD/CAM system and sophisticated materials. The revolution of conventional dental procedures has taken place since the introduction of the multidisciplinary nature of 3-D printing in dentistry. Dentists and technicians need to work hand in hand with the engineers and designers to fully use the potential of it, and this will lead to faster turnaround times, better treatment planning and more patient comfort. In today’s ever- hanging times, 3-D printing is at the forefront of innovation in many areas including dentistry and it provides a window into personalised patient care soon in the future. It is an excellent example of how technology and healthcare come together to generate realistic models, prosthesis, surgical guides etc leading to precise outcomes.

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