A Comparative Study of Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing Techniques for a Zirconia Dental Product: An Analysis of the Manufacturing Accuracy and the Bond Strength of Porcelain to Zirconia

Abstract

This study was aimed at preparing zirconia samples via additive manufacturing (AM) and subtractive manufacturing (SM) and testing the following aspects: (1) the manufacturing accuracy of the zirconia samples and (2) the bond strength of porcelain to zirconia to evaluate the applicability of the zirconia fabricated by AM in dental clinics. We used three milling machines for SM (AR, K5, and UP) and a 3D printer for AM (AO). The manufacturing accuracy of the zirconia specimen in the internal and marginal areas was evaluated by superimposing techniques to calculate the root mean square (RMS) values. The bond strengths of porcelain to zirconia prepared via SM and AM were measured using a universal testing machine. The internal and marginal RMS values of the zirconia prepared by AM (AO) were within the range of those of the zirconia prepared by SM (AR, K5, and UP). Moreover, the bond strength value of the zirconia prepared by AM (35.12 ± 4.09 MPa) was significantly higher than that of the zirconia prepared by SM (30.26 ± 5.20 MPa). Therefore, AM technology has significant potential for applications in dentistry.