applied
sciences
Review
Comparison of CAD/CAM and Conventional Denture Base
Resins: A Systematic Review
Cindy Batisse 1,2, *            and Emmanuel Nicolas 1,2
                                          1   UFR d’Odontologie, Université Clermont Auvergne, CROC, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France;
                                              emmanuel.nicolas@uca.fr
                                          2   CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Service d’Odontologie, F-63003 Clermont-Ferrand, France
                                          *   Correspondence: cindy.lance@uca.fr
                                          Abstract: At present, complete dentures (CDs) remain the only treatment available for the majority
                                          of edentulous patients. CDs are primarily fabricated using a conventional method using polymethyl-
                                          methacrylate (PMMA) resin. The steps involved in PMMA polymerisation directly affect the quality
                                          of the resin prosthetic base and any error reduces retention and occlusal accuracy of CDs. Further-
                                          more, when using the conventional technique, the residual monomer alters the resin mechanical
                                          properties and may cause mucosal reactions. Recently, computer aided design and computer aided
                                          manufacture (CAD/CAM) techniques were increasingly used to fabricate CDs by machining resin
                                          discs that have been manufactured under high pressure and temperature. This systematic review
                                          compares CAD/CAM and conventional CDs according to their mechanical, physical and chemical
                                          characteristics, as well as the clinical impact of any differences between them. A review was con-
                                          ducted according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses checklist
                                          on 392 publications from both PubMed and backward research. Fifteen studies have been included.
                                Results showed that CAD/CAM resins had globally better physical and mechanical properties than
                                   conventional resins. The use of machined resin could improve the clinical performance, maintenance
Citation: Batisse, C.; Nicolas, E.        and longevity of CDs. Further studies in clinical use would be required to complement these results.
Comparison of CAD/CAM and
Conventional Denture Base Resins:         Keywords: denture base; complete denture; acrylic resin; CAD-CAM; milling resin
A Systematic Review. Appl. Sci. 2021,
11, 5990. https://doi.org/10.3390/
app11135990
                                          1. Introduction
Academic Editor: Mitsuru Motoyoshi
                                                 Due to anatomical, physiological or financial restrictions, complete dentures (CDs)
                                          still represent the only treatment available for the majority of edentulous patients. Since
Received: 4 June 2021
Accepted: 22 June 2021
                                          the 1950s, complete dentures have been primarily designed and fabricated by hand, using
Published: 28 June 2021
                                          conventional methods that follow well-defined clinical protocols and laboratory techniques.
                                          To produce a set of complete dentures, edentulous patients must have at least five clinical
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral
                                          appointments with their dentist to (1) make preliminary and (2) final impressions to make
with regard to jurisdictional claims in
                                          a replica of the oral tissues (gypsum cast), (3) record the maxillomandibular relationship
published maps and institutional affil-   and select the appropriate denture teeth, (4) test the trial wax prostheses and (5) insert the
iations.                                  complete prostheses. Once the trial wax dentures are deemed appropriate, the laboratory
                                          steps to make the final prostheses begin. The gypsum cast and the trial wax replica are
                                          flasked in more gypsum to produce the external surface form. Once all the gypsum is
                                          solidified, the trial wax is removed using hot water, producing a mold cavity. The resin to
Copyright: © 2021 by the authors.
                                          fabricate the final denture is then introduced into the mold cavity within the flask by either
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
                                          pressure or injection. Each technique has advantages and disadvantages. The quality of the
This article is an open access article
                                          prosthetic resin material obtained is strongly influenced by the steps involved in handling
distributed under the terms and           the resin.
conditions of the Creative Commons               To date, acrylic resin polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is the most popular denture
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://     base material [1]. PMMA resin best meets all the specifications for an ideal denture base
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/          material. Its advantages range from easy repair to good appearance and reasonable cost. It
4.0/).                                    has simple handling characteristics and polymerization is initiated by mixing polymethyl
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11135990                                            https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                            2 of 15
                            methacrylate (polymer) and methyl methacrylate (monomer) [2]. The polymerization of
                            this type of PMMA resin is completed by application of heat. When this resin is used for
                            dental prostheses, it shows linear distortions by contraction with a theoretical shrinkage of
                            6%. When using the conventional technique, internal stresses are created during the final
                            heat application during polymerization. These stresses are released when the prosthesis is
                            removed from the gypsum mold and flask, resulting in twisting, bending and dimensional
                            variations of the denture bases compared to the cast. Clinically, these deformations result
                            in a loss of accuracy and retention of the complete dentures.
                                  There is also a loss of precision in the occlusal relationship as compared to the wax
                            trial prosthesis [3]. Furthermore, the chemical reaction between the monomer and the
                            polymer is never complete. The residual monomer that remains after the polymerization
                            process can alter the mechanical properties of the resin [4]. The released monomer is also
                            suspected of being responsible for allergic or irritating chemical reactions such as burning
                            sensations in the mouth, stomatitis, edema or ulceration of the oral mucosa [5].
                                  With the development of digital technology, computer aided design and manufacture
                            (CAD/CAM) techniques are increasingly popular in dentistry. Thirty years after the first ar-
                            ticles on digital removable prostheses, many systems now exist to both reduce the number
                            of patient appointments needed and the laboratory time needed for prothesis fabrica-
                            tion [6–9]. The process of manufacturing CDs with computer-assisted technology involves
                            the acquisition of clinical information and the digital design of prostheses on computer
                            software. CDs can be produced using an additive (3D printing) or subtractive (milling)
                            process. The most commonly used method at present is the subtractive method [10–13].
                            In the subtractive method, the prostheses are milled from proprietary resin discs that are
                            polymerized under high pressure and high temperature [14]. CAD/CAM techniques for
                            denture fabrication have many clinical and laboratory advantages [15–18]. The computer-
                            aided design and manufacture of complete prostheses simplifies the laboratory protocol,
                            stores data and reduces the number of appointments required. A literature review by Wang
                            et al. [19] studied the impact of this manufacturing process on the adaptation of CDs and
                            occlusion. Their review showed that all prostheses tested had a clinically acceptable fit.
                            The CAD/CAM CDs showed a similar adaptation to conventional prostheses, sometimes
                            even better. Recently, Baba et al. [20] reviewed currently available techniques to manu-
                            facture CAD/CAM complete dentures and concluded that their physical properties were
                            improved over those fabricated by conventional laboratory techniques. With these results
                            in mind, the present literature review is aimed at expanding the evaluation of CAD/CAM
                            dentures by comparing their mechanical, physical and chemical characteristics with those
                            of conventional dentures. For the first time, the clinical repercussions of the CAD/CAM
                            machining process were assessed and discussed.
                            2. Materials and Methods
                                 A thorough search of the literature was conducted using the Medline database (via
                            PubMed). A search strategy developed for Medline via PubMed was employed using
                            the following keywords: (CAD/CAM complete denture base); (CAD/CAM complete
                            denture) NOT (implant); (CAD/CAM complete denture base) AND (resin properties). A
                            systematic review according to the PRISMA checklist was applied. A manual search of the
                            included articles was also performed to identify further eligible studies not detected by
                            keyword search and this strategy is outlined in Figure 1. In January 2021, 392 titles listed in
                            PubMed were identified. After screening the initial articles and backward searching, some
                            publications were excluded based on the following criteria: papers not written in English,
                            animal and in vivo studies, case reports, systematic reviews and when only abstracts
                            were available.
Appl. Sci. 2021,
       Appl.       11, 11,
             Sci. 2021, x FOR
                           5990 PEER REVIEW                                                                                  3 of 15
                                       Figure
                                     Figure    1. PRISMA
                                            1. PRISMA       flowofchart
                                                      flow chart         ofbased
                                                                   records  records   based
                                                                                 on initial   on initial
                                                                                            PubMed       PubMed
                                                                                                   database searchesdatabase
                                                                                                                     and back-         search
                                       searching.
                                     ward searching.
                                           Studies comparing the properties of CD resins manufactured conventionally to those
                                              Studies
                                     manufactured        comparing
                                                      digitally          thewere
                                                                by milling    properties
                                                                                   targeted. of  CD resins
                                                                                               Articles dealingmanufactured
                                                                                                                 with CDs digitally convent
                                       manufactured
                                     manufactured     by 3Ddigitally    by milling
                                                             printing methods           were targeted.
                                                                                 were excluded,             Articles
                                                                                                   leaving only          dealing with CD
                                                                                                                  the manufacturing
                                     process by machining for comparison to the conventional manufacturing method. Studies
                                       ufactured by 3D printing methods were excluded, leaving only the manufa
                                     comparing the manufacturing techniques of complete removable prostheses based on
                                       by machining
                                     criteria other than thefor  comparison
                                                             properties            to the
                                                                        of resins were  also conventional      manufacturing
                                                                                             excluded, as well as  studies on implant-method
                                       paring the manufacturing techniques of complete removable prostheses b
                                     supported    prostheses, immediate   dentures,  or partial removable  prostheses.
                                           Full-text analysis was performed independently by two reviewers. Finally, fifteen
                                       other    than the properties of resins were also excluded, as well as studies o
                                     articles were included.
                                       ported prostheses, immediate dentures, or partial removable prostheses.
                                             Full-text analysis was performed independently by two reviewers. Fin
                                     3. Results
                                       ticles were included.
                                          Three hundred and ninety-two titles were identified from the PubMed electronic
                                     search. The PRISMA selection methodology resulted in the inclusion of fifteen studies is
                                     summarized in Table 1.
                                       3. Results
                                           The objective of this literature review was to compare the characteristics of manufac-
                                     tured CAD/CAM PMMA resins with those of PMMA resins produced by conventional
                                              Three
                                     laboratory        hundred
                                                techniques.   For thisand   ninety-two
                                                                        purpose,             titles
                                                                                 the results are     wereaccording
                                                                                                 presented    identifiedto thefrom   the Pub
                                                                                                                               mechan-
                                       search.
                                     ical,       The
                                           physical andPRISMA         selection
                                                         chemical properties    of methodology         resulted
                                                                                   the resins. In all the  studies, in
                                                                                                                     thethe   inclusion of fi
                                                                                                                         conventional
                                       summarized in Table 1.
                                     resins were  produced   using   clamping  pressure  or injection techniques,   followed   by poly-
                                     merization by heat using common dental laboratory techniques. The CAD/CAM resins
                                              The objective
                                     were obtained               of thismanufactured
                                                     from industrially     literature review       was
                                                                                         resin discs  thatto  compare
                                                                                                           were  polymerizedthe characterist
                                                                                                                                 under
                                       tured CAD/CAM PMMA resins with those of PMMA resins produced b
                                     high  pressure and  high  temperature.
                                       laboratory techniques. For this purpose, the results are presented accord
                                       chanical, physical and chemical properties of the resins. In all the studies, th
                                       resins were produced using clamping pressure or injection technique
                                       polymerization by heat using common dental laboratory techniques. The
                                       ins were obtained from industrially manufactured resin discs that were p
                                       der high pressure and high temperature.
                                       3.1. Mechanical Properties
                                              Seven articles have focused on the surface hardness of the PMMA re
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                                                                                                      4 of 15
                                                                   Table 1. Included articles (HP: Heat_polymerising; IM: Injected molding).
                                                                              Conventional                                             Samples of Studied    Studied
 Year              Title                            Authors                                           CAD/CAM Resins                                                              Properties
                                                                              Resins                                                   Resins                Characteristics
                   Adherence of Candida to
                   Complete Denture Surfaces
                                                                                                                                                             Surface roughness
                   in vitro: A Comparison of                                  HP resin (Major         Wieland Digital Dentures         Resin discs
 2017                                               Al-Fouzan et al.                                                                                         Adherence of         Physical
                   Conventional and                                           dental)                 (Ivoclar Vivadent)               (10 × 3 mm)
                                                                                                                                                             Candida albicans
                   CAD/CAM Complete
                   Dentures [28]
                                                                                                      Baltic denture System (Merz
                   Do CAD/CAM dentures                                                                dental GmbH) Vita VIONIC
                   really release less monomer                                                        (Vita Zahnfabrik) Whole You                            Residual monomer
 2017                                               Steinmassl et al.         HP resin (Candulor)                                      Dentures                                   Chemical
                   than conventional                                                                  Nexteeth (Whole You Inc.)                              content
                   dentures? [14]                                                                     Wieland Digital Dentures
                                                                                                      (Ivoclar Vivadent)
                   The residual monomer
                   content and mechanical
                   properties of CAD\CAM                                                                                                                     Flexural strength,
                                                                                                                                       Resin bar specimens                        Mechanical
 2017              resins used in the fabrication   Ayman et al.              HP resin (Vertex RS)    Polident (Polident d.o.o)                              Hardness, Residual
                                                                                                                                       (65 × 10 × 3 mm)                           Chemical
                   of complete dentures as                                                                                                                   monomer content
                   compared to heat cured
                   resins [21]
                                                                                                      AvaDent (Global Dental
                                                                                                      Science) Baltic denture System
                   In Vitro Analysis of the
                                                                              HP resin (Candulor)     (Merz dental GmbH) Vita                                Toughness, Elastic
                   Fracture Resistance of                                                                                              Resin bar specimens                        Mechanical
 2018                                               Steinmassl et al.         Autopolymerising        VIONIC (Vita Zahnfabrik)                               modulus, Surface
                   CAD/CAM Denture Base                                                                                                (39 × 8 × 4 mm)                            Physical
                                                                              resin (Candulor)        Wieland Digital Dentures                               roughness
                   Resins [29]
                                                                                                      (Ivoclar Vivadent) Whole You
                                                                                                      Nexteeth (Whole You Inc.)
                                                                                                      AvaDent (AvaDent Global
                                                                                                      Dental) Baltic denture System
                   Influence of CAD/CAM                                                               (Merz dental GmbH) Vita          Dentures Resin
                                                                                                                                                             Surface roughness,
 2018              fabrication on denture           Steinmassl et al.         HP resin (Candulor)     VIONIC (Vita Zahnfabrik)         bar specimens                              Physical
                                                                                                                                                             Hydrophobicity
                   surface properties [30]                                                            Whole You Nexteeth (Whole        (39×8×4 mm)
                                                                                                      You Inc.) Wieland Digital
                                                                                                      Dentures (Ivoclar Vivadent)
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                                                                                           5 of 15
                                                                                       Table 1. Cont.
                                                                      Conventional                                        Samples of Studied    Studied
 Year              Title                          Authors                                    CAD/CAM Resins                                                            Properties
                                                                      Resins                                              Resins                Characteristics
                                                                                                                          Resin coupon
                   CAD/CAM milled complete
                                                                                                                          specimens
                   removable dental prostheses:
                                                                                                                          (11 × 11 × 2 mm)      Elastic modulus,
                   An in vitro evaluation of                                                 AvaDent (Global Dental                                                    Mechanical
 2018                                             Srinivasan et al.   HP resin (Candulor)                                 Resin bar specimens   Hardness, Toughness,
                   biocompatibility, mechanical                                              Science)                                                                  Physical
                                                                                                                          (65 × 10 × 3 mm)      Surface roughness
                   properties, and surface
                                                                                                                          Resin bar specimens
                   roughness [24]
                                                                                                                          (20 × 20 × 1.5 mm)
                   Evaluation of Flexural
                   Strength and Surface
                                                                                             M-PM Disc (Merz Dental
                   Properties of                                                                                                                Flexural strength,
                                                                                             GmbH) AvaDent (AvaDent       Resin bar specimens                          Mechanical
 2018              Prepolymerized CAD/CAM         Arslan et al.       HP resin (Promolux)                                                       Hydrophobicity,
                                                                                             Global Dental) Polident      (64 × 10 × 3.3 mm)                           Physical
                   PMMA-based Polymers                                                                                                          Surface roughness
                                                                                             (Polident d.o.o)
                   Used for Digital 3D
                   Complete Dentures [31]
                   In vitro evaluation of                                                    M-PM Disc (Merz Dental                             Hydrophobicity,
                   Adhesion of Candida albicans                                              GmbH) AvaDent (AvaDent       Resin discs           Surface roughness,
 2019                                             Murat et al.        HP resin                                                                                         Physical
                   on CAD/CAM                                                                Global Dental) Pink          (10 × 2 mm)           Adherence of Candida
                   PMMA-Based Polymers [32]                                                  CAD/CAM disc                                       albicans
                   A Comparison of the Surface
                   Properties of CAD/CAM                                                     AvaDent (Global Dental       Resin coupon          Hardness,
                                                                                                                                                                       Mechanical
 2019              and Conventional               Al-Dwairi et al.    HP resin (Meliodent)   Science) Tizian Blank PMMA   specimens             Hydrophobicity,
                                                                                                                                                                       Physical
                   Polymethylmethacrylate                                                    (Schütz Dental)              (25 × 25 × 3 mm)      Surface roughness
                   (PMMA) [22]
                                                                                                                          Resin bar specimens
                                                                      Conventional                                        (65 × 10 ×2.5 mm)
                                                                      heat-activated pack                                 (DD, PRO) and Resin
                   Mechanical Properties of                                                  Wieland Digital Dentures                           Flexural strength
                                                                      en press PMMA                                       bar specimens
 2019              CAD/CAM Denture Base           Pacquet et al.                             (Ivoclar Vivadent):                                Fracture toughness     Mechanical
                                                                      (Probase Hot)                                       (40 × 4 × 2 mm)
                   Resins [25]                                                               Ivobase (DD)                                       Hardness
                                                                      (PRO) IM                                            (CAP) Resin bar
                                                                      resin (Ivocap)(CAP)                                 specimens
                                                                                                                          (39 × 8 × 4 mm)
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                                                                                                 6 of 15
                                                                                             Table 1. Cont.
                                                                         Conventional                                             Samples of Studied    Studied
 Year              Title                           Authors                                        CAD/CAM Resins                                                             Properties
                                                                         Resins                                                   Resins                Characteristics
                   Flexural strength of denture
                                                                         Compressed molding
                   base acrylic resins processed                                                  AvaDent (Global                 Resin bar specimens   Flexural strength,
 2020                                              Aguirre et al.        resin (Microstone) IM                                                                               Mechanical
                   by conventional and                                                            Dental Science)                 (64 × 10 × 3.3 mm)    Flexural modulus
                                                                         resin (Microstone)
                   CAD-CAM methods [33]
                   A Comparison of the
                   Flexural and Impact
                   Strengths and Flexural                                                         AvaDent (Global Dental                                Flexural strength,
                                                                                                                                  Resin bar specimens
 2020              Modulus of CAD/CAM and          Al-Dwairi et al.      HP resin (Meliodent)     Science) Tizian Blank PMMA                            Flexural modulus,    Mechanical
                                                                                                                                  (65 × 10 × 3 mm)
                   Conventional Heat-Cured                                                        (Schütz Dental)                                       impact strength
                   Polymethyl Methacrylate
                   (PMMA) [34]
                   Comparison of Mechanical
                                                                                                  Interdent (Interdent d.o.o)
                   Properties of 3D-Printed,                             HP resin (ProBase
                                                                                                  Polident (Polident d.o.o)       Resin bar specimens   Flexural strength
 2020              CAD/CAM, and                    Prpić et al.         Hot, Paladon 65,                                                                                    Mechanical
                                                                                                  Wieland Digital Dentures        (64 × 10 × 3.3 mm)    Hardness
                   Conventional Denture Base                             Interacryl Hot)
                                                                                                  (Ivoclar Vivadent)
                   Materials [23]
                   Influence of High-Pressure
                                                                                                                                                        Flexural strength,
                   Polymerization on                                     HP resin (ProBase        Wieland Digital Dentures        Resin bar specimens
 2021                                              Becerra et al.                                                                                       Elastic modulus      Mechanical
                   Mechanical Properties of                              Hot) ± high pressure     (Ivoclar Vivadent)              (65 × 10 × 3.3 mm)
                                                                                                                                                        Hardness
                   Denture Base Resins [26]
                                                                                                  Degos Dental L-Temp (Degos      Resin bar specimens
                   Assessment of CAD-CAM                                                                                                                Flexural strength,
                                                                         HP resin (Paladon 65)    Dental) Zirkonzahn Temp         (65 × 10 × 3.2 mm)
                   polymers for digitally                                                                                                               Microhardness,
 2021                                              Perea-Lowery et al.   Autopolymerizing         Basic Tissue (Zirkonzahn SRL)   Resin coupon                               Mechanical
                   fabricated complete dentures                                                                                                         Nanohardness,
                                                                         resin (Palapress)        Wieland Digital Dentures        specimens
                   [27]                                                                                                                                 Elastic modulus
                                                                                                  (Ivoclar Vivadent)              (10 × 10 × 2 mm)
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                                                     7 of 15
                                      3.1. Mechanical Properties
                                           Seven articles have focused on the surface hardness of the PMMA resins. Hardness is
                                      a measure of the resistance of a material to plastic deformation, induced by either abrasion
                                      or mechanical indentation. The data are presented in Table 2. Two studies have shown
                                      that resins for CAD/CAM prostheses have a higher microhardness than conventional
                                      resins [21–23]. Others studies showed no significant difference in hardness between the
                                      two types of resins when tested for nano-hardness [24,25]. Recently, however, one study
                                      showed that the hardness of CAD/CAM resin was significantly lower than that of hot-
                                      pressed conventional resin [26]. Perea–Lowery [27] revealed differences in material-related
                                      hardness and microhardness between CAD/CAM and conventional resins
                                                         Table 2. Hardness test results.
                                                                 Average Hardness (±Standard                Average Hardness (±Standard
                                                                Deviation) of Conventional Resin            Deviation) of CAD/CAM Resin
                                                                                                           T: 19.80 (±1.08) *,a
 Al-Dwairi et al. (2019) [22] (in mPa)                         18.09 (±0.31)
                                                                                                           A: 20.60 (±0.33) *,b
 Ayman et al. (2017) [21] (in mPa)                             13.22 (±0.88)                               P: 22.41 (±1.50) ***
 Becerra et al. (2021) [26] (in (HVN)                          23.1 (±1.9)                                 18.7 (±1.7)
 Pacquet et al. (2019) [25] (in mPa)                           19.46 (±0.4)                                19.31 (±1.48)
 Perea-Lowery et al. (2021) [27] (in mPa)                      NC                                          NC
 Prpić et al. (2020) [23] (in mPa)                            NC                                          NC
 Srinivasan et al. (2018) [24] (in mPa) (nano-hardness)        232 (±15)                                   A: 221 (±14)
      CAD/CAM resin discs: A: Avadent; P: Polident; T: Tizian-Schütz; NC: Graphic data: precise values not communicated. * Statistically
      significant difference compared to conventional resin (p < 0.05); *** Statistically significant difference compared to conventional resin
      (p < 0.001); a and b indicate a statistical difference between CAD/CAM resins.
                                            The resistance to deformation was studied by three-point bending tests in nine stud-
                                      ies [21,23,24,26,27,29,31,33,34]. Results showed that CAD/CAM resins have superior me-
                                      chanical properties; higher elastic moduli [21,24,26,29,33], flexural strength [23,24,26,31,33,34],
                                      impact strength [34] and yield strength [24,25] as compared to conventional resins. How-
                                      ever, two studies [21,27] revealed that the mechanical properties of CAD/CAM resins were
                                      not always superior to that of conventional resins. Arslan et al. showed that the flexural
                                      strength of all the resins tested was significantly lower after thermocycling [31]. Most
                                      CAD/CAM resins have a higher toughness than conventional resins [24,29].
                                            Only one study focused on the analysis of the load at fracture of resins using a 3-point
                                      bending test on rectangular resin samples (4 mm-thick). The maximum load at fracture
                                      of six CAD/CAM resins was then compared with that of conventional heat-cured and
                                      self-curing resins [29]. Table 3 shows the results of the fracture tests. The fracture resistance
                                      of CAD/CAM resins was not always superior to that of conventional heat-cured or self-
                                      curing resins. Indeed, fracture resistance is highly variable within CAD/CAM resins. The
                                      average breaking loads ranged from 40.27 N ± 3.40 to 82.49 N ± 7.47 for CAD/CAM resins.
                                      Of the six CAD/CAM resins tested, only the Wieland digital dentures (WWD) resin had
                                      significantly higher values than conventional resins. This study also showed that there
                                      was a positive correlation between fracture surface roughness and the maximum load at
                                      fracture of the resin. For example, the WDD CAD/CAM resin had the roughest fracture
                                      surface with the highest maximum breaking load.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                                                                8 of 15
                                                           Table 3. Breaking load test results.
                                                   Mean Load at Fracture (±Standard                          Mean Load at Fracture (±Standard
                                                 Deviation) of Conventional Resin (N)                        Deviation) of CAD/CAM Resin (N)
                                              Conventional heat-cured
                                                                                                        A: 50.26 (±4.02) **
                                              resin: 61.66 (±5.60)
                                                                                                        BDS: 49.37 (±4.91) **
 Steinmassl et al. (2018) [29]                                                                          VV: 40.27 (±3.40) **
                                              Self-curing resin: 53.51 (±4.07)                          DD: 82.49 (±7.47) **
                                                                                                        WNu: 62.35 (±2.44) **
                                                                                                        WNc: 63.44 (±4.91) **
      CAD/CAM resin discs: A: Avadent; BDS: Baltic denture system; DD: Wieland digital denture; VV: Vita Vionic; WNu: Whole You Nexteeth,
      dentures without the customary full surface coating, WNc: Whole You Nexteeth, dentures with the customary full surface coating;
      ** Statistically significant difference compared to conventional resin (p < 0.01); The different subscript letters indicate a statistical difference
      between CAD/CAM resins.
                                           The study by Steinmassl et al. [29] highlighted the differences in mechanical properties
                                       between CAD/CAM resins.
                                       3.2. Physical Properties
                                             Seven studies compared the surface roughness of CAD/CAM and conventional
                                       resins [22,24,28–32]. Surface roughness was measured using laser or contact profilometers.
                                       Three of the seven studies showed that conventional resins had significantly higher surface
                                       roughness than CAD/CAM resins [22,28,32]. Another study also showed that conventional
                                       resins had a higher roughness, except for one brand of CAD/CAM resin that showed a
                                       slightly lower roughness that was not statistically significant [30]. The study by Steinmassl
                                       et al. showed that two of the five CAD/CAM resins tested had lower roughness than
                                       conventional resins [29]. One study showed that surface roughness was significantly higher
                                       for CAD/CAM resins [24]. The study by Arslan et al. showed that the resins did not exhibit
                                       different roughness values before and after thermal cycling [31]. The data are summarized
                                       in Table 4.
                                             Four studies have focused on the hydrophobicity of resins using the sessile drop
                                       technique with calculation of the contact angle [22,30–32]. The results of the studies are pre-
                                       sented in Table 5. Two studies showed that most CAD/CAM resins were more hydrophobic
                                       than conventional resins [22,31], while another study showed a higher hydrophobicity
                                       rate for conventional resins [30]. All the studies highlighted variations in hydrophobicity
                                       according to the CAD/CAM resin used [22,30–32].
                                             One study used thermocycling to simulate the clinical aging process and found
                                       that conventional resins become more hydrophobic and CAD/CAM resins become more
                                       hydrophilic after aging [31].
                                       3.3. Chemical Properties
                                            Two studies have investigated the content of residual monomer in industrially poly-
                                       merized CAD/CAM resins [14,21]. The results are presented in Table 6. Steinmassl et al.
                                       showed that CAD/CAM resins release very little free monomer after milling. However,
                                       their residual monomer content was not statistically lower than that of conventional
                                       laboratory-polymerized resins, regardless of the CAD/CAM process tested (BalticDen-
                                       ture, Whole You Nexteeth, Wieland Digital Dentures or Vita) for the manufacture of CDs.
                                       Another study showed lower free monomer content in industrially polymerized resin
                                       specimens, compared to conventionally polymerized resins [21].
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                                                       9 of 15
                                                     Table 4. Surface roughness test results.
                                                          Average Surface Roughness                          Average Surface Roughness
                                                           (±Standard Deviation) of                    (±Standard Deviation) of CAD/CAM
                                                           Conventional Resin (µm)                                    Resin (µm)
                                                                                                      A: 0.16 (±0.03) ** a
 Al-Dwairi et al. (2019) [22]                                       0.22 (±0.07)
                                                                                                      T: 0.12 (±0.02) *** b
 Al-Fouzan et al. (2017) [28]                                    0.073 (±0.015)                       WDD: 0.037 (±0.001) *
                                                             Without thermocycling:                            Without thermocycling:
                                                                 0.22 (±0.07) a                       A: 0.22 (±0.06) a
                                                                                                      M: 0.21 (±0.07) b
                                                                                                      P: 0.26 (±0.09) a
 Arslan et al. (2018) [31]
                                                               With thermocycling:                    With thermocycling:
                                                                  0.29 (±0.09) b                      A: 0.24 (±0.04) c
                                                                                                      M: 0.18 (±0.04) d
                                                                                                      P: 0.32 (±0.08) c
                                                                                                      M: 0.18 (±0.04) *,a
 Murat et al. (2018) [32]                                           0.34 (±0.06)                      P: 0.21 (±0.04) *,a
                                                                                                      A: 0.20 (±0.05) *,a
 Srinivasan et al. (2018) [24]                                   0.12 (±0.29)                         0.37 (±0.03) ***
                                                         Conventional heat-cured resin:               A: 1.11 (±0.38) *
                                                                 3.47 (±0.10)                         BDS: 2.04 (±0.42)
 Steinmassl et al. (2018) [29]                                                                        VV: 3.23 (±0.31)
                                                                 Self-curing resin:                   WDD: 6.25 (±2.74)
                                                                   2.42 (±0.79)                       WN: 0.65 (±0.11)
                                                                                                      A: 0.28 (±0.16) **
                                                                                                      BDS: 0.44 (±0.13)
 Steinmassl et al. (2017) [14]                                       0.55(±0.14)                      VV: 0.28 (±0.07) **
                                                                                                      WN: 0.04 (±0.01) **
                                                                                                      DD: 0.30 (±0.10) **
      CAD/CAM resin discs: A: Avadent; BDS: Baltic denture system; DD: Wieland digital denture; M: M-PM; P: Polident; T: Tizian-Schütz;
      VV: Vita Vionic; WN: Whole You Nexteeth; * Statistically significant difference compared to conventional resin (p < 0.05); ** Statistically
      significant difference compared to conventional resin (p < 0.01); *** Statistically significant difference compared to conventional resin
      (p < 0.001). a, b, c, d indicate a statistical difference between CAD/CAM resins.
                                                      Table 5. Hydrophobicity test results.
                                                     Average Contact Angle (±Standard                    Average Contact Angle (±Standard
                                                     Deviation) of Conventional Resin (◦ )               Deviation) of CAD/CAM Resin (◦ )
                                                           Without thermocycling:                               Without thermocycling:
                                                                 73.97 (±3.53)                        A: 92.95 (±2.65) ***,a
                                                                                                      M: 81.03 (±3.29) ***,b
 Arslan et al. (2018) [31]                                                                            P: 82.39 (±3) ***,b
                                                               With thermocycling:                              Without thermocycling:
                                                                  83.35 (±4.37)                       A: 83.52 (±2.6) c
                                                                                                      M: 77.21 (±3.01) ***,d
                                                                                                      P: 76.16 (±3.3) ***,d
                                                                                                      A: 72.87 (±4.83◦ ) ***
 Al-Dwairi et al. (2019) [22]                                      65.97 (±4.67◦ )
                                                                                                      T: 69.53 (±3.87◦ )
                                                                  Without saliva:                                   Without saliva:
                                                                  73.43 (±17.82)                      A: 69.72 (±10.57) *,a
                                                                                                      M: 71.31 (±6.94) *,a
                                                                                                      P: 69.63 (±4.85) *,a
 Murat et al. (2018) [32]
                                                                    With saliva:                      With saliva:
                                                                   86.51 (±11.07)                     A: 74.98 (±4.28) *,b
                                                                                                      M: 79.56 (±5.06) *,c
                                                                                                      P: 86.19 (±5.82) d
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                                                       10 of 15
                                                                   Table 5. Cont.
                                                      Average Contact Angle (±Standard                   Average Contact Angle (±Standard
                                                      Deviation) of Conventional Resin (◦ )               Deviation) of CAD/CAM Resin (◦ )
                                                                                                       A: 70.35 (±8.99)*
                                                                                                       BDS: 75 (±5.42) *
 Steinmassl et al.(2018) [30]                                       82.50 (±3.44)                      VV: 74.4 (±2.32)***
                                                                                                       WN: 77.7 (±9.87)
                                                                                                       DD: 77.5 (±3.34)
      CAD/CAM resin discs: A: Avadent; BDS: Baltic Denture System; DD: Wieland Digital denture; M: M-PM; P: Polident; T: Tizian-Schütz;
      VV: Vita Vionic; WN: Whole You Nexteeth; * Statistically significant difference compared to conventional resin (p < 0.05); *** Statistically
      significant difference compared to conventional resin (p < 0.001); a, b, c, d indicate a statistical difference between CAD/CAM resins.
                                                Table 6. Residual monomer content test results.
                                                     Average Residual Monomer (±SD) of                  Average Residual Monomer (±SD) of
                                                          Conventional Resin (ppm)                            CAD/CAM Resin (ppm)
                                                           At baseline: 17.10 (±0.38)                      At baseline: P: 1.61 (±0.05) ***
            Ayman et al. (2017) [21]                       At two-day: 16.04 (±0.13)                       At two-day: P: 1.03 (±0.06) ***
                                                          At seven-day: 13.54 (±0.46)                     At seven-day: P: 0.90 (±0.01) ***
                                                                                                                  BDS: 0.6 (±0.4)
          Steinmassl et al. (2017) [14]                               1.5 (±1.6)
                                                                                                                  WN: 6 (±2.7) **
      CAD/CAM resin discs: BDS: Baltic denture system; P: Polident; WN: Whole You Nexteeth; ** Statistically significant difference compared
      to conventional resin (p < 0.01); *** Statistically significant difference compared to conventional resin (p < 0.001).
                                      4. Discussion
                                          The objective of this literature review was to compare the characteristics of CAD/CAM
                                     resins with those of conventional resins in order to assess the impact of CAD/CAM
                                     resins on the CDs’ clinical performance and durability. Results showed that switching
                                     to digital technology for the manufacturing process of resins led to different properties
                                     between conventional and CAD/CAM resins. Throughout this discussion, the effect of the
                                     physical property differences of these resins on the success of clinical denture treatment
                                     will be highlighted.
                                      4.1. Retention of Denture Bases
                                          The clinical performance of CDs is partly determined by their retention within the oral
                                     cavity. Lack of retention and instability are two of the main complaints from people wearing
                                     CDs. Retention refers to the amount of vertical force needed to resist the dislodgement of
                                     the prosthesis away from its supporting structures, similar to the force needed to remove
                                     a suction cup. As with a suction cup, wettability of the resins influences the prostheses’
                                     retention to the supporting mucosa and has to be taken into account in the manufacturing
                                     process. Wettability indicates whether saliva is able to spread more or less easily on a
                                     surface and reflects whether fluids aid retention of the denture surface to oral mucosa,
                                     thus affecting retention. CDs with good wettability therefore optimize retention. The
                                     wettability of a material is defined by observing the angle of contact between the material
                                     and a drop of water: the greater the angle, the lower the wettability and therefore, the more
                                     hydrophobic the material will be. In the studies included in the review, hydrophobicity
                                     varied according to the type of resin used and could be explained by several hypotheses.
                                     Hydrophobicity could be correlated with the rate of monomer released by the resins during
                                     polymerization [31]. Another hypothesis could call into question the additives contained
                                     in the resins. Indeed, dentures are not made of pure PMMA. They contain numerous
                                     additives such as polymerization initiators, cross-linking agents, fillers and dyes, which
                                     can all influence the hydrophobicity of the resins [31]. The origin of these variations in
                                     hydrophobicity value in dental resins, as well as the effect of aging on resin hydrophobicity,
                                     should be investigated.
                                          On the one hand, these results on hydrophobicity do not clearly explain why some
                                     studies show that digital CDs are more retentive than conventional CDs. On the other
                                     hand, one study has shown through adhesion tests that the retention of digital CDs is
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                          11 of 15
                            better [35]. If the resins’ physical properties do not play a major role in CAD/CAM denture
                            retention, then the manufacturing process itself could favor the precision of adaptation
                            and the adhesion of digital CDs. Still, the precision of the manufacturing process of these
                            resins favors adaptation and the adhesion of digital CDs and has shown that the retention
                            of digital CDs is better than that of conventional prostheses [35]. The review by Wang
                            et al. [19] on the accuracy of digital full dentures showed that digital CDs have a similar or
                            better fit than conventionally manufactured CDs. The manufacture of CDs using digital
                            techniques helps to meet the three biomechanical requirements to ensure CD success;
                            namely retention, stability and support (accuracy of fit to the oral tissues) as defined in
                            Housset’s triad.
                            4.2. Resistance to Deformation and Breakage
                                 When worn, complete dentures are subjected to high stresses during chewing. This
                            creates cyclic deformation of the denture polymer, which in turn can lead to crack formation
                            and possible fatigue fracture of the denture [36]. Therefore, good resistance of the resins to
                            deformation is very important. The results of this literature review showed that CAD/CAM
                            resins have superior mechanical properties to conventional resins.
                                 First of all, conventional resins had a lower modulus of elasticity than CAD/CAM
                            resins. The elastic modulus is an important property in characterizing the material’s rigidity.
                            Resins with a higher modulus of elasticity will be more resistant to elastic deformation.
                            A high elastic modulus may make it possible to fabricate prostheses with reduced thick-
                            ness without compromising the mechanical properties, an important attribute for patient
                            comfort and acceptance of the prosthesis. In addition, a deformation-resistant prosthe-
                            sis will have a more stable occlusion. These differences in rigidity between CAD/CAM
                            and conventional resins are probably due to the manufacturing process. The modulus
                            of elasticity would be related to the residual monomer content. It has been shown that a
                            high monomer content reduces the glass transition temperature, making the resin more
                            flexible. The high-temperature, high-pressure polymerization of CAD/CAM resins leads
                            to higher monomer conversion with lower residual monomer values, thus resulting in
                            a more rigid resin. High-pressure and high-temperature polymerization also allows a
                            different arrangement of the polymer chains. Previous studies had shown that the use of
                            high pressure during polymerization increased crosslinks between polymer chains [15,37].
                                 Secondly, fracture resistance characterizes the maximum stress a material can with-
                            stand before breaking. Results have shown that fracture resistance varied within CAD/CAM
                            resins. For example, in the study by Steinmassl et al. [29], the Wieland digital denture
                            (WDD) resin exhibited higher loads to fracture but had a lower elastic modulus than the
                            others. Thus, it had lower rigidity and more susceptible to plastic deformation. It would
                            therefore be preferable not to reduce the bases thickness too much to compensate for the
                            risk of plastic deformation. Of the six CAD/CAM resins tested, only the WWD resin
                            had significantly higher yield strength values compared to conventional resins. WDD
                            also exhibited the roughest fracture surface. It was the only resin with fine grains on the
                            fracture surface. This difference in resin surfaces is thought to be due to the geometry,
                            size and distribution of the polymer powders used to make the resins. In the study by
                            Steinmassl et al. [29] the measured maximum breaking loads were all greater than 40 N.
                            However, the maximum bite force was reduced to 40 N in complete prosthesis wearers
                            with high resorption of the mandibular alveolar bone [38]. Based on these results, some
                            manufacturers encourage the fabrication of full dentures with reduced resin thickness. It is
                            imperative to remain skeptical regarding this commercial argument, especially since in the
                            study, the tests were performed on 4 mm thick resin samples, which is much thicker than
                            a prosthetic base. Furthermore, CDs are subjected to much more complex stresses in the
                            mouth, involving different types of forces in different directions (such as chewing). For
                            a valid prediction of clinical fatigue resistance, further studies on cyclic loading behavior
                            and fracture toughness are necessary.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                          12 of 15
                                 The results highlighted differences in mechanical properties between CAD/CAM
                            resins. More information on the composition and manufacturing processes of CAD/CAM
                            resins would help to better understand some of the results.
                            4.3. Adhesion of Microorganisms
                                  Preventing the adhesion of microorganisms to dentures helps preserve the health of
                            tissues in the oral cavity. The prevalence of denture stomatitis among denture wearers
                            has been shown average around 28% [39]. Microorganisms can cause pathology in the
                            mucosa supporting the prosthesis, such as candidiasis (induced mainly by Candida albicans).
                            Microorganisms accumulate more easily on prostheses than on natural tissue. The surfaces
                            of removable maxillary prostheses are the main reservoir of Candida albicans [40,41]. The
                            physical properties of the prosthetic resin influence this adhesion, including surface rough-
                            ness and hardness. The results of this literature review showed that CAD/CAM machined
                            resins had globally more advantageous physical properties than conventional resins.
                                  Surface roughness is the most important factor for Candida albicans’ adhesion to the
                            prosthesis surface. Optical and electron microscopy studies revealed that initial adhesion
                            of microorganisms usually begins in the microscopic pits and cracks of rough surfaces.
                            This surface roughness provides protection against removal (shear) forces and gives time
                            for microbes to irreversibly adhere to the surface [42–45]. A smoother surface might reduce
                            Candida albicans adhesion, which ultimately lowers the risk of prosthetic stomatitis. It has
                            been demonstrated that CAD/CAM resins have significantly lower surface roughness
                            than conventional resins [22,28,29,32]. The polishing technique and the operator’s ability
                            to polish both affect the roughness of the resins’ cameo (external) surface [46]. However,
                            the prosthetic intaglio (internal surface in contact with the supporting mucosa) is never
                            polished, and only the polymerization of the resins would determine surface roughness.
                            Therefore, irregularities in conventionally fabricated dentures would be due to the evapora-
                            tion of monomers during polymerization. This can be avoided by applying high-pressure
                            polymerization, as seen when utilizing proprietary CAD/CAM resins [32]. In case of
                            conventional resin polymerization, the amount of pressure applied is limited to avoid
                            fracturing the gypsum mold in which resins are polymerized. Conversely, machined
                            resins for CAD/CAM prosthetics are made from resin discs that are polymerized at very
                            high pressure, which could explain their lower roughness [30]. Furthermore, in order to
                            avoid the accumulation and colonization of microorganisms on the prostheses’ surface,
                            roughness of the resins should not exceed 0.2 µm [47]. In this review, most of the resins
                            had roughness above 0.2 µm. This characteristic should be improved in the future, taking
                            into consideration that the surface profile of the prosthetic intaglio surface always exhibits
                            striations due to milling process used for CAD/CAM resins.
                                  In addition to the biofilm adhesion onto the resins, surface roughness also tends to
                            induce halitosis and mucosal inflammation [48], and reduces patient comfort. Thus, milling
                            resins could reduce these nuisances and facilitate denture maintenance.
                                  Hardness is another factor influencing bacterial adhesion to the prostheses over time.
                            Surface hardness is defined as the ability of the material to resist penetration or permanent
                            indentation related to the wear and scratches appearing as the dentures are worn and
                            cleaned. A prosthesis should have a hard surface to reduce denture deterioration and
                            therefore limit the adhesion of microorganisms [37,49]. Included studies focused on the
                            microhardness as well as the nanohardness of resins. For the most part, surface micro-
                            hardness was higher in CAD/CAM prosthetic resin blocks and no significant difference
                            was found between nanohardness values. These results could be related to the polymer-
                            ization process because the polymerization conditions of the CAD/CAM resin discs (high
                            temperature and pressure) and the addition of inorganic substances promote the formation
                            of longer polymer chains and limit the dimensional shrinkage of polymerization [50]. This
                            high-temperature, high-pressure polymerization leads to higher monomer conversion,
                            minimizing the plasticizing effect of the residual monomer [51,52]. Thus, CAD/CAM
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                                 13 of 15
                            resins seem to be harder than conventional resins, which could help prevent bacterial
                            adhesion and therefore increase the long-term comfort of the dentures.
                            4.4. Residual Monomer Content
                                  The residual monomer alters the resins’ mechanical properties. It is also suspected of
                            being responsible for allergic or irritating chemical reactions such as burning sensations
                            in the mouth, stomatitis, edema or ulcerations of the oral mucosa. A certain amount
                            of residual monomer is unavoidable due to the monomer-polymer balance required for
                            the radical polymerization of resins [53]. Although the ISO 20795-1 norm (2013) allows
                            a maximum residual monomer content of 2.2% by weight [54], the presence of residual
                            monomer in the denture base resins should be reduced to a least amount possible.
                                  In the study by Steinmassl et al. [14], the amount of residual monomer in industrially-
                            polymerized and then machined CAD/CAM resins was not statistically different from that
                            of conventional resins. Four CAD/CAM resins were tested (BalticDenture, Whole You
                            Nexteeth, Wieland digital dentures and Vita). The BalticDenture process exhibited the least
                            residual monomer of the resins tested. In the BalticDenture system, the prosthetic teeth are
                            incorporated into the base during polymerization. In the other systems, the prosthetic teeth
                            are bonded separately to the base after milling, using a PMMA bonding agent. These results
                            suggest that the bonding agents used to attach the teeth to the milled resin base are a source
                            of methacrylate monomer release. Thus, industrially polymerized resins would contain
                            less residual monomer than laboratory-cured resins [21]. PMMA discs are polymerized
                            industrially at high temperature and high pressure. This type of polymerization promotes
                            the formation of longer polymer chains and would therefore lead to a higher level of
                            monomer conversion with lower residual monomer values [37]. Assembling the prosthetic
                            teeth to the machined bases during the CD manufacturing process would explain why
                            the residual monomer content of some machined CDs is not that different from that of
                            conventional CDs. Further studies need to be conducted to confirm this hypothesis, using,
                            for example, Ivotion (Ivoclar’s newest monolithic CD material).
                            5. Conclusions
                                  This review showed that CAD/CAM resins have similar or even superior character-
                            istics to conventional resins, particularly in terms of mechanical properties. However, it
                            should be noted that the variabilities of the characteristics are not only due to the manu-
                            facturing techniques but could also be due to the composition of resins. This entails that
                            manufacturers should provide more complete information in terms of resin composition,
                            and their manufacturing process, as it often remains confidential. CAD/CAM resins exhibit
                            properties that can improve patient satisfaction and clinical success of CDs. The longevity
                            of CDs should also be investigated in future studies in clinical use by investigating the
                            resins’ aging process and fatigue resistance.
                                  Using digital techniques to manufacture CDs would help meet the three biomechanical
                            requirements to ensure CDs balance, namely retention, stability and support (Housset’s
                            triad). Ultimately, this literature review is encouraging for more frequent utilization of
                            CAD/CAM resins in the future, to become the new standard protocol.
                            Author Contributions: Conceptualization, C.B. and E.N.; methodology, C.B.; validation, C.B. and
                            E.N.; formal analysis, C.B.; investigation, C.B.; original draft preparation, C.B.; writing—review and
                            editing, C.B and E.N. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
                            Funding: This research received no external funding.
                            Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.
                            Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.
                            Data Availability Statement: Not applicable.
                            Acknowledgments: The authors thank Caroline Eschevins for her valuable technical support, Isabelle
                            Denry and Julie A Holloway for their help in revising the manuscript.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5990                                                                                                             14 of 15
                                   Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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