Development of a 3D Printing Teeth Splint including a Colorimetric Sensor

Abstract

Currently, 3D printing is usually used in the fields of medicine and dentistry. In particular, dentistry is sensitive to shape because prostheses must be made to suit the individual shape of the patient's teeth, such as implants and aligners. Therefore, 3D printing technology with high degree of shape freedom is widely used in dentistry. As one of the 3D printing technology, the PolyJet 3D printing has a very high resolution of about 14 μm and can be applied in the field of dentistry because biocompatible materials are available. As an example of an application in the field of dentistry, tooth wear occurs due to bruxism or usual chewing exercise. If it is severe, it can cause serious problems such as headaches. Therefore, a device for accurately measuring the amount of tooth wear is required, and this study develops a 3D printing teeth split including a colorimetric sensor capable of simply measuring tooth wear.