@article{2989713,
    title = "In-house 3D-printed aligners: effect of in vivo ageing on mechanical properties",
    author = "Can, E. and Panayi, N. and Polychronis, G. and Papageorgiou, S.N. and Zinelis, S. and Eliades, G. and Eliades, T.",
    journal = "EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORTHODONTICS",
    year = "2022",
    volume = "44",
    number = "1",
    pages = "51-55",
    publisher = "NLM (Medline)",
    issn = "0141-5387",
    doi = "10.1093/ejo/cjab022",
    abstract = "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. Samples from control/retrieved groups were embedded resin and subjected to instrumented indentation testing (IIT) to record force-indentation depth curves, calculating the following (as per ISO 14577-1, 2002 standard): Martens hardness (HM), indentation modulus (EIT), and elastic index (ηIT), and the indentation relaxation index (RIT). Differences between control and retrieved 3D-printed aligners were checked with Mann-Whitney/t-tests at an alpha = 5%. RESULTS: ATR-FTIR analysis showed that aligners were made of a vinyl ester-urethane material. The results of the IIT testing were: HM (control: median 91.5 N/mm2, interquartile range [IQR] 88.0-93.0/as-retrieved: median 90.5 N/mm2, IQR 89.0-93.0); EIT (control, mean 2616.3 MPa, standard deviation [SD] 107.0 MPa/retrieved, mean 2673.2 MPa, SD 149.4 MPa); ηIT (control: median 28.6%, IQR 28.2-30.9%/as-retrieved: median 29.0%, IQR 28.7-29.2%); and RIT (control: median 45.5%, IQR 43.0-47.0%/as-retrieved: median 45.1%, IQR 45.0-45.3%). No differences between as-retrieved and control aligners were found for any of the mechanical properties tested (P > 0.05 in all instances). CONCLUSION: The mechanical properties of the in-house 3D-printed aligners tested were not affected after 1 week in service period. © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Orthodontic Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com."
}