Background: less information regarding how 3D-printed surgical guides are impacted by steam sterilization.
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effect of three different steam sterilization protocols on the trueness and precision of 3D printed surgical guides.
Materials and Methods: Surgical guide was digitally designed based on a dual scan, involved the production of 39 guides using clear (FORMLABS SURGICAL GUIDE RESIN), randomly divided into three groups each of 13 specimens. The steam temperature of first group (S1) was raised to 121 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, second group (S2) was heated to 121 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes, and third group (S3) was heated to 134 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. Measurements were taken of the guides both before and after the sterilization process for examination of the dimensional stability. Surface and geometric characteristics of the surgical guides were investigated using Olympus SZX 11 stereomicroscope.
Results: Perimeter Changes: Group S1 showed a significant decrease in perimeter, while Group S3 increased significantly. Group S2 had no significant change. Area Changes: All groups demonstrated significant changes in the area post-sterilization. Group S2 showed the least impact protocol. Trueness and Precision: Group S2 showed the best results for both trueness and precision, indicating minimal dimensional distortion.