Color stability of three‐dimensionally printed versus conventional removable dental prosthesis exposed to beverages and disinfectants: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of in vitro studies

PURPOSE: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the color stability of three-dimensionally (3D)-printed dentures compared with conventional heat-polymerized polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) resin dentures following exposure to staining beverages and disinfectants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive search of CENTRAL, Embase, MEDLINE, and Scopus was conducted up to March 2025, supplemented by gray literature. In vitro experimental studies were included, and the primary outcome was color change (ΔE). The Risk of Bias tool for Dental Material studies (RoBDEMAT tool) was used to evaluate the risk of bias. Meta-analyses were conducted for each outcome measure (CIELAB or CIEDE2000) and stratified by type and duration of exposure. RESULTS: Nineteen studies were included for quantitative analysis. After accounting for multiple measurements within studies, no statistically significant difference in color change was found between 3D-printed and conventional resins for either exposure or either color system. For colored beverages, the mean difference (3D-printed minus conventional) was 0.44 (95%CI -0.09 to 0.98) for CIELAB and 0.02 (95%CI -1.06 to 1.09) for CIEDE2000; for disinfectants, it was 0.19 (95%CI -1.85 to 2.22) for CIELAB and -0.53 (95%CI -1.10 to 0.04) for CIEDE2000. Unadjusted analyses suggested a small difference in the CIELAB beverage comparison that did not persist after adjustment. Heterogeneity was high across all analyses. CONCLUSION: 3D-printed and conventional PMMA resins showed no statistically significant difference in color stability for any exposure or color system, and any observed differences remained below established clinical perceptibility thresholds. Given the small number of studies, high heterogeneity, and in vitro nature of the evidence, results should be interpreted cautiously.