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Biomaterials and 3D Printing in Dentistry: Research and Clinical Innovations
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Biomaterials and 3D Printing in Dentistry: Research and Clinical Innovations

A Special Issue of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (ISSN 2079-4983) belonging to the section "Dental Biomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 854

Editors

Dr. Claudia Barbosa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. FP-I3ID, FP-BHS, Faculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, 4200-150 Porto, Portugal
2. RISE-Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Fernando Pessoa Teaching and Culture Foundation, 4200-150 Porto, Portugal
Interests: dentistry; prosthodontics; temporomandibular disorders; oral behaviors; occlusal splints; restorative dentistry; 3D printing; 3D-printed teeth
Dr. Tiago Reis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. FP-I3ID, FP-BHS, Faculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, 4200-150 Porto, Portugal
2. CDRSP, Polytechnic University of Leiria, Marinha Grande, Portugal
Interests: dentistry; endodontics; restorative dentistry; 3D printing; 3D-printed teeth
Dr. José Martín-Cruces

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Endodontics and Restorative Dentistry Unit, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago, Spain
Interests: digital dentistry; operative dentistry; esthethic dentistry
Prof. Dr. Benjamín José Martín

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Oral Sciences Research Group, Endodontics and Restorative Dentistry Unit, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Health Research Institute of Santiago (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago, Spain
Interests: dentistry; endodontics; restorative dentistry; 3D printing; 3D-printed teeth

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Three-dimensional printing has emerged as one of the most dynamic and rapidly expanding technologies in contemporary dentistry. Its integration with advanced biomaterials has opened new possibilities across multiple areas of dental research and clinical practice.

This Special Issue aims to provide an updated overview of current developments in biomaterials and 3D printing in dentistry, highlighting their potential to transform scientific investigation and clinical workflows. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and clinically oriented studies addressing the development, characterization, validation, and application of printable biomaterials and additive manufacturing technologies in different fields of dentistry.

Building on the growing body of literature in digital dentistry, biomaterials science, and additive manufacturing, this Special Issue seeks to bring together contributions from different dental specialties and provide a broad and interdisciplinary perspective on how biomaterials and 3D printing are currently being used and how they may shape the future of dentistry.

We invite researchers and clinicians to contribute to this Special Issue and share their latest findings, experiences, and perspectives.

Dr. Claudia Barbosa
Dr. Tiago Reis
Dr. José Martín-Cruces
Prof. Dr. Benjamín José Martín
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Biomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • 3D printing
  • additive manufacturing
  • dental biomaterials
  • digital dentistry
  • clinical applications
  • computer-aided design and fabrication

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1551 KB  
Article
Perceptual Evaluation of 3D-Printed Typodont Teeth with Comparable Cutting Forces
by Alexander Jon Cresswell-Boyes, Aylin Baysan and Graham Roy Davis
J. Funct. Biomater. 2026, 17(9), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb17090471 - 17 Sep 2026
Viewed by 174
Abstract
Background: Pre-clinical training in endodontics relies heavily on typodont teeth to develop operative skills before patient care, but conventional polymer-based typodonts differ from human teeth in their cutting response, requiring greater force and producing an unrealistic cutting experience that often dissatisfies students. [...] Read more.
Background: Pre-clinical training in endodontics relies heavily on typodont teeth to develop operative skills before patient care, but conventional polymer-based typodonts differ from human teeth in their cutting response, requiring greater force and producing an unrealistic cutting experience that often dissatisfies students. Methods: This study evaluated four alternative 3D-printed typodont materials—15 wt.% carbonated hydroxyapatite, 15 wt.% Puraflake® (glass flake filler), 15 wt.% zinc oxide, and a urethane/triethylene glycol dimethacrylate resin composite—based on their cutting force, post-cut surface roughness, and perceived cutting feel relative to extracted enamel, assessed via a five-point Likert scale questionnaire completed by 46 (n = 46) fourth- and fifth-year dental students. Results: No statistically significant differences in cutting force were detected between the four printed materials and extracted enamel, a finding confirmed using formal two one-sided equivalence testing (TOST); larger confirmatory studies would allow this equivalence to be established with greater statistical precision. Perception scores differed significantly between materials, and fifth-year students rated the dental resin composite significantly more favourably than fourth-year students, with only the composite effect surviving stringent Bonferroni correction across all four material comparisons, underscoring the reliability of this specific finding. Post-cut surface roughness showed a strong, statistically robust monotonic association with perception scores at the individual-respondent level (Page’s L trend test, n = 46, p < 0.001), suggesting that surface behaviour during material removal may contribute to perceived haptic similarity. Conclusions: Matching cutting force alone does not guarantee perceptual equivalence. Among the materials tested, the dental resin composite most closely approximated extracted-enamel surface roughness, received the most favourable and consistent perception scores, and is recommended as the preferred material for pre-clinical typodont fabrication where accessible. These 3D-printed typodonts offer a standardised, openly documented alternative to commercial typodonts for pre-clinical training, with digital models and manufacturing workflows openly available via an institutional platform (TactiTooth). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials and 3D Printing in Dentistry: Research and Clinical Innovations)
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15 pages, 7897 KB  
Article
CBCT in Dental Research: Is Complexity Necessary? An Exploratory Proof-of-Concept Study
by Selma Tekin, Karim Oumalou, Selim Tekin, Rui B. Ruben, Margarida Franco, Nuno Alves, Cláudia Barbosa, Sandra Gavinha, Maria Conceição Manso and Tiago Reis
J. Funct. Biomater. 2026, 17(8), 385; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb17080385 - 4 Aug 2026
Viewed by 422
Abstract
This exploratory proof-of-concept study aimed to develop and preliminarily evaluate a 3D-printed holder designed for reuse in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in dental research, particularly for comparative studies requiring pre- and post-intervention tooth assessment. The holder was designed using computer-aided design software [...] Read more.
This exploratory proof-of-concept study aimed to develop and preliminarily evaluate a 3D-printed holder designed for reuse in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in dental research, particularly for comparative studies requiring pre- and post-intervention tooth assessment. The holder was designed using computer-aided design software and fabricated from polylactic acid using 3D printing. A conventional alginate-based holder was used for comparison. The comparison therefore concerned two complete positioning systems with different geometries and modes of adaptation to the CBCT headrest. The two positioning devices were independently placed by two operators with different levels of experience, and all CBCT scans were acquired by the same operator. The procedure was repeated after a 5-day interval. Root canal morphology was assessed using volumetric and surface measurements, as well as voxel counts. The independently segmented canal models were qualitatively displayed together in their native coordinate space to visualize positional consistency between acquisitions. Paired analyses showed substantially lower positional deviations with the 3D-printed holder than with the conventional holder in all four acquisition comparisons (Holm-adjusted p < 0.001). Mean deviations ranged from 0.126 to 0.172 mm for the 3D-printed holder and from 3.626 to 8.318 mm for the conventional holder. Morphometric parameters derived from 3D analysis remained identical across all acquisitions, regardless of operator, time point, or positioning method. Qualitative 3D analysis showed near-complete overlap for the 3D-printed holder and clear spatial discrepancies for the conventional holder. Under the evaluated conditions, the 3D-printed holder exhibited less positional variability than the conventional alginate-based holder. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials and 3D Printing in Dentistry: Research and Clinical Innovations)
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