Effect of Graphene on the 3D Printed Resin Properties Exposed to Artificial Saliva for Dental Applications

Graphene‐based materials exhibit beneficial characteristics in dentistry, attributed to their superior mechanical, physiochemical, antibacterial, and stem cell differentiation capabilities. Although graphene‐based materials have shown suitable biocompatible characteristics for use in dentistry, there has been limited research conducted to specifically evaluate the mechanical properties of graphene in dental applications. The objective of this study was to verify the changes in mechanical properties of a 3D printed resin composites containing graphene nanoplatelets (0.250% w/w) after immersion in artificial saliva for 30, 60, 90, and 120 days. Morphological and mechanical properties such as hardness, compressive strength, and dynamic mechanical thermal (DMTA) analyses were evaluated. Cytotoxicity and biological properties of graphene from a previous study are also presented. The incorporation of graphene increased the properties analyzed (with exception of Hardness Shore D) when compared to 0 days incubated in artificial saliva. Hardness was slightly decreased with incubation time (from 80 to 70 Shore D Hardness). Compression strength was maintained at ~110 MPa for all conditions analyzed with the exception of 0 days incubated without graphene (60 MPa). The maximum deformation under compression slightly decreased with time immersion (11.5–10 mm) while DMTA showed a 16 GPA at 40°C for the resin containing graphene.