Digital light processing of rare earth oxide doped natural color zirconia denture for customized aesthetic properties

Zirconia is a ceramic material with fine properties for dental restorations, but the color of zirconia does not match natural teeth color. In this study, the effect of zirconia doped with different rare earth oxides on the color of denture manufactured by Digital Light Processing (DLP) method was investigated. Experimental results showed that the color of the ceramic parts after sintering could cover Vita 3D colorimetric plate for natural teeth, and the color accuracy was within 1.5 NBS. Meanwhile, the forming accuracy of the denture reached 67.7 μm, and the three-point bending strength was 520.32 ± 35.44–649.10 ± 42.31 MPa, which met the requirements of triple crown in dentistry. This study establishes a method to achieve colors of natural teeth using DLP technology, and the results of this study have important leading implications for the use of additive manufacturing technology to fabricate natural-color ceramic dentures for dental applications. • Through doping rare earth oxides, the color of sintered zirconia can cover Vita 3D colorimetric plate for natural teeth. • Digital Light Processing is used to produce ceramic denture with a color similar to that of natural teeth. • The three-point bending strength of rare earth doped samples are greater than 500 MPa to meet the requirements of use.