SHAPE MEMORY RESIN FOR DIRECT PRINTED ALIGNERS : A SCOPING REVIEW

• Roohi Sobti,  
• Anup Kanase,*  
• Vaibhav Misra

Abstract

Aim : This scoping review aims to assess the mechanical properties, accuracy, and cytotoxicity of the new shape-memory resin for direct printed aligners. Methods: A search for articles published until February 2024 was carried out using PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases and by applying the search terms ("3D printed" OR "three-dimensional printed") AND aligner AND (polymer* OR material* OR resin* OR technopolymer*). Results: The initial search identified 620 records. After removing duplicates, 220 studies were screened. Based on the title and abstract, 196 full texts were screened. 90 Full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. 16 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Conclusion: The new shape memory resin has optimum properties that can enable it to be a promising alternative for thermoformed aligners, with better performance in terms of force delivery and more accuracy. However, the collected evidence remains quantitatively scarce and of limited reliability. Additional studies should be performed to evaluate the clinical efficiency of these recent materials

Keywords

3D printing, direct printed aligner, resin, mechanical properties , cytotoxicity, accuracy