Impact of Adding Cerium Zirconium Oxide Nanofibers in 3D-Printed Denture Base Material

Purpose: Pure three-dimensional (3D)-printed resin for denture base shows strength in comparison with the conventional heat-cured materials. The purpose of this study was to assess how physical and mechanical properties of 3D-printed denture base resins are affected by the addition of cerium zirconium oxide nanofibers (CeZrO4 NFs), which have a unique combination of thermophysical and mechanical properties. Materials and Methods: The specimens were digitally created utilizing Microsoft Corporation’s 3D builder software through computer-aided design. To meet the test criteria for transverse strength, impact strength, hardness, radiopacity, and degree of conversion (DC), specimens were designed and printed with specific dimensions according to the relevant standards. The 3D-printed denture base resin was mixed with CeZrO4 NFs (diameter: 300–800 nm, length: 2–10 µm) at weight percentages of 0.5, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2%, and 2.5%. The data were analyzed using Tukey’s post hoc test (α = 0.05) and ANOVA. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to evaluate surface morphologies of the composites and nanofibers, and the dispersion of the NFs within the resin matrix respectively. Results: The results demonstrated that compared with those of the control group, the average transverse strength, impact strength, and hardness values of the CeZrO4 NF reinforcement groups significantly increased up to a nanofiller concentration of 1.5 wt.%., whereas those of the other reinforcement groups significantly decreased. For example, the impact strength significantly increased from 5.84 kJ/m2 (0 wt.%) to the maximum value 8.76 kJ/m2 at 1.0 wt.% CeZrO4 NF. On the other hand, the Shore D hardness increased from 80.84 for the control group to the maximum value 83.27 at 1.5 wt.% CeZrO4 NF. The radiopacity increased as the NF concentration increased. Although Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis did not show any noticeable change in the chemical structure of the resin after incorporating the NFs, there was a notable improvement in the DC of the nanocomposites with NF concentrations of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 wt.%. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) showed evidence of uniform distribution of the CeZrO4 NFs in the 3D-printed specimens. Conclusions: The properties of the denture bases fabricated from 3D-printed resin were enhanced by the addition of 0.5%, 1 wt.% and 1.5 wt.% CeZrO4-milled NFs, though the latter two concentrations produced the most significant results.