ORCID

Document Type

Article

Abstract

AbstractBackground: 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).

Publication Date

2026-09-17

Publication Title

Journal of Functional Biomaterials

Volume

17

Issue

9

Acceptance Date

2026-09-08

Deposit Date

2026-09-17

Funding

This study was funded by the Westfield Fund for Enhancing the Student Experience, Queen Mary University of London (Project No. WF2015: 3D Printing of Realistic Endodontic Training Models). The project also received funding from Barts Charity (Project no. G-002362: Development of a Method for the Creation of Artificial Teeth for Training Dentists).

Keywords

dental education, 3D printing, simulation-based education, typodont, haptics, surface roughness

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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