Mechanical characteristics of zirconia produced additively by 3D printing in dentistry - A systematic review with meta-analysis of novel reports.

This study was aimed at comparing the mechanical parameters of ceramics made using the addition and subtraction technique. A search was performed on four search engines on 5th April 2023. Quality assessment was performed using study type-specific scales. Where possible, a meta-analysis was performed. Data were extracted from four search engines: PubMed, PubMed Central, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus. The search strategy identified 686 potential articles. 19 papers were subject to qualitative analysis, and data from 11 papers were meta-analysed. The included studies were of high or medium quality. All included papers were in-vitro studies. No clinical trials were found in the literature. Ceramics made in the additive technology in terms of mechanical parameters can compete with ceramics made in the milling technology. There are no clinical studies yet that would indicate the use of this type of material for permanent restorations in patients. Studies presented in the literature vary greatly in terms of study design and reporting of results. The research did not receive external funding. • Ceramics manufactured additively is overall characterized by smaller flexural strength, but insignificant then the ones manufactured subtractively. • There is no significant difference between the type of ceramics in microhardness. However, there is a significant heterogeneity in both cases (in both meta-analyses). • This review describes many articles, all of which were about in-vitro research. There is a lack of research that would refer to the clinical usefulness of 3D printing in dentistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]