3D printing in pediatric dentistry

ABSTRACT Dental treatment of children poses significant challenges for clinicians. They often face fear and anxiety in a dental setup, which leads to difficulty in achieving their cooperation. Hence, there is a need for modern technologies which will help a pediatric dentist to deliver oral healthcare to a child with utmost comfort and quality treatment. Three-dimensional printing or additive manufacturing has found its usage in most of the dental procedures. The object is “printed” in the additive manufacturing process by adding the building material in increments. In pediatric dentistry, 3D printing has gained its way by its child-friendly practice tool with the advent of intraoral scanners. This 3D printing has various roles in taking pediatric dentistry to its next era – digital era – leading to customized, child-friendly, painless holistic pediatric dental practice.