Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Document Type

Thesis - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Dentistry

Copyright Statement

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Department

College of Dental Medicine

First Advisor

Nurit Bittner Fogel

Date of original Performance / Presentation

January 2026

Publication Date / Copyright Date

1-1-2026

Abstract

Purpose Accurate implant analog positioning is critical for achieving passive fit in complete-arch implant-supported prostheses. Although additive manufacturing has become widely adopted for the fabrication of definitive implant casts, previous studies have primarily evaluated the dimensional trueness of printed casts rather than the positional accuracy of implant analogs following analog insertion. Furthermore, limited evidence exists regarding the influence of different additive manufacturing technologies and model designs on implant analog positional accuracy. Therefore, the purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effects of additive manufacturing technology and model design on implant analog positional accuracy in complete-arch definitive models. Materials and Methods A completely edentulous mandibular master model containing four implants was digitized to generate a reference stereolithography (STL) dataset. Solid and hollow implant model designs were fabricated using three additive manufacturing technologies: Digital Light Synthesis (DLS), Digital Light Processing (DLP), and Low Force Stereolithography (LFS). Ten specimens of each model design were fabricated with each printing technology (n=10), resulting in 60 definitive casts. Following standardized post-processing, ADMA digital implant analogs were inserted manually into all 3D printed models, abutment level scan bodies were used to subsequently rescan the 3D printed models to digitize them for three- dimensional deviation analysis. Implant analog positional accuracy was evaluated using root mean square (RMS) deviation as the primary outcome, whereas linear and angular deviations were recorded as secondary outcomes. Statistical analyses were performed with a significance level of α = 0.05. Results When all implants were combined, RMS did not differ significantly between hollow and solid models for DLP printer (Asiga Ultra) (P = 0.620), DLS printer (Carbon M2) (P = 0.055), or LFS (Formlabs Form 3B) (P = 0.169). When all implants were combined, printer type significantly affected mean linear and angular deviations for both hollow and solid models (P < 0.001), with DLP (Asiga Ultra) demonstrating the smallest deviations. However, design-related effects were printer-dependent. DLP printer (Asiga Ultra) solid models demonstrated significantly lower pooled mean linear deviation than hollow models (0.0351 ± 0.0195 mm versus 0.0459 ± 0.0183 mm; P = 0.005) and lower overall angular deviation (0.138 ± 0.0709° versus 0.227 ± 0.113°; P < 0.001). models demonstrated greater angular deviation than hollow models when all implants were combined (P = 0.001), whereas DLS (Carbon M2) showed no significant difference between hollow and solid models in mean linear or angular deviation. Conclusions Implant analog positional accuracy differed significantly among the three printing systems. When all implants were combined, the DLP printer demonstrated the lowest mean linear and angular deviations for both hollow and solid models. The effect of model design varied among printing systems: solid models improved linear and angular accuracy with the DLP printer, showing no significant improvement in the main positional outcomes with DLS (Carbon M2), and demonstrated greater angular deviation with LFS (Formlabs Form 3B). RMS did not significantly differ between hollow and solid models within any printing system, suggesting that RMS alone may not fully reflect implant analog positional accuracy.

Disciplines

Dentistry

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