Objectives: To investigate and compare the color stability and surface roughness of provisional restorative materials fabricated by 3D printing, milling and conventional techniques after immersion in different storage media.
Materials and methods: The 84-disc specimens were fabricated and divided into 3 groups according to the technique of fabrication (n=28), group C: Conventional techniques, group M: milled technique, group P: 3d printed technique. Each group was divided into 4 subgroups according to storage media (n=7), Subgroup D: distilled water, subgroup C: coffee solution, subgroup Co: cola, and subgroup O: orange juice. Baseline color was measured using spectrophotometer then measured after 2 and 4 weeks of immersion in different storage media. Color change (ΔE) was assessed using of the CIE L*a*b* system. Surface roughness was also measured using profilometer for all specimens before and after immersion in staining solutions. The data was then collected and statistically analyzed using two-way ANOVA. The significance level was set at p < 0.05 within all tests.
Results: Two-way ANOVA showed that the fabrication technique and interaction between variables had a significant effect on surface roughness. There was a significant interaction between fabrication method, solution type and storage time on color stability.
Conclusions: The surface roughness of 3D printed materials was higher than milled and conventional groups. 3D printed and CAD-CAM milled materials had better color stability compared to conventional group.