Evaluation of the Color Stability of 3D-Printed Crown and Bridge Materials against Various Sources of Discoloration: An In Vitro Study

Recent advances in three-dimensional (3D) printing have introduced new materials that can be utilized for dental restorations. Nonetheless, there are limited studies on the color stability of restorations using 3D-printed crowns and bridge resins. Herein, the color stability of conventional computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) blocks and 3D-printing resins was evaluated and assessed for their degrees of discoloration based on material type, colorant types (grape juice, coffee, curry, and distilled water (control group)), and storage duration (2, 7, and 30 days) in the colorants. Water sorption, solubility, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses were conducted. A three-way ANOVA analysis showed that all three factors significantly affected the color change of the materials. Notably, the discoloration (ΔE(00)) was significantly higher in all 3D printing resins (4.74–22.85 over the 30 days) than in CAD/CAM blocks (0.64–4.12 over the 30 days) following immersion in all colorants. 3D-printing resins showed color differences above the clinical limit (2.25) following storage for 7 days or longer in all experimental groups. Curry was the most prominent colorant, and discoloration increased in almost all groups as the storage duration increased. This study suggests that discoloration must be considered when using 3D printing resins for restorations.