3D PRINTING….. A PARADIGM SHIFT IN ENDODONTICS

Abstract: The process of 3 Dimensional (3D) printing is used to create a 3D object with the help of a computer aided design (CAD) model, by successive addition of material layer by layer thus it is also known as additive manufacturing. During 1990’s, the technique of 3D printing was only applied for the manufacture of aesthetic or functional prototypes and was suitably named as rapid prototyping. The following descriptive review presents with an overview about contemporary 3D printing technologies and their use in various specialties of dentistry and largely focusing on the applications of this technology in the endodontics.