An evaluation by dental clinicians of cutting characteristics and haptic perceptions in 3D-printed typodont teeth: A pilot study

This study aimed to compare the haptic perception of clinicians to the cutting response of 3D-printed typodont teeth and commercial typodont teeth and human extracted teeth. Twenty clinicians were asked to perform a Class I cavity preparation on commercial typodont teeth, 3D-printed typodont teeth, and human extracted teeth, while the forces were recorded via a three-axis load cell. The haptic perception of clinicians was also evaluated through a response questionnaire comparing commercial and 3D-printed typodont teeth. The study found that clinicians used similar forces (p = 0.53) to cut both the 3D-printed typodont teeth (1.37 N) and the human extracted teeth (1.44 N), but more force was needed to cut the commercial typodont teeth (3.71 N). The response questionnaire indicated that clinicians rated the 3D-printed typodont teeth highly compared to the commercial teeth. The 3D-printed dentine received favorable feedback from clinicians, and the 3D-printed enamel was rated higher compared to the commercial equivalents. The results of the study suggest that 3D-printed typodont teeth offer a comparable haptic perception to human extracted teeth and can be used as an effective tool for preclinical dental learning. Moreover, the study highlights the advantages of 3D-printed typodont teeth over commercial typodont teeth in terms of haptic perception.