LIDER XIII – The National Centre for Research and Development LIDER13/0156/2022
Project title: Development of new generation, non-toxic, antibacterial resins with 3D printer for the dental industry to produce temporary crowns and bridges
Project period: 01.07.2023 – 01.07.2026
Grant amount: 1 499 125 PLN
The aim of the project is to develop new, antibacterial, non-toxic resins dedicated to the dental industry for the production of bridges and temporary crowns obtained by cationic photopolymerization and to develop compatible 3D printers working in SLA/DLP/LCD technology. Due to the numerous limitations of resins available on the market for the production of materials used in prosthetics, and due to the continuous search for non-toxic resins characterized by low polymerization shrinkage, color stability, high reactivity of resins for obtaining temporary crowns and bridges, a detailed research plan has been proposed, including application and development issues towards the development of new resins and a compatible 3D printer.
A resin for dental applications must consist of two key components with well-defined properties. The first is a mixture of monomers as an organic matrix. In the project proposed by the Applicant, it is planned to use, m.in, epoxy monomers characterized by significantly reduced polymerization shrinkage, lack of toxicity and lack of characteristic odour. An important aspect is also the selection of appropriate initiators or initiating systems, which are the second important component of the resin. The project plans to synthesize high-performance photoinitiators. High efficiency of the initiator system is required because the photopolymerization process should take place in the shortest possible time, and the degree of monomer reaction should be close to 100%, so that there is no unreacted monomer. The next stage will be the modification of the design and construction of the 3D printer with software, which will be compatible with the developed resins, as well as safety tests of the developed resins and printouts will be carried out using in vitro methods and testing the mechanical properties of the printouts.
As a result, the aim of the project is to develop a complete solution for the dental industry in the form of the formulation of light-curing resins with unique properties thanks to the use of a new photocuring mechanism and a compatible 3D printer enabling fast and precise high-resolution 3D printing. The development of new universal photoinitiating systems and resins dedicated to the dental industry for the production of bridges and temporary crowns as a cheap alternative to commercially available resins based on acrylate monomers, which often lead to caries, as well as a 3D printer compatible with the new resins, places this research as a very innovative and promising direct application not only on a national scale, but also the world.
