Abstract Purpose This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the effects of printing temperature and post‐curing duration on the dimensional reproducibility and mechanical properties of three‐dimensional (3D)–printed dental prostheses. Materials and Methods Photopolymer specimens were fabricated using a stereolithographic 3D printer at two temperatures: room temperature (RT) and 50°C. After rinsing to remove uncured monomers, specimens were post‐cured for 0, 60, 120, 180, 240, or 600 s. Fracture load testing was measured to assess mechanical performance. Dimensional reproducibility of three‐unit fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) was evaluated using root mean square (RMS) deviation analysis and the silicone replica technique. Statistical analysis was conducted using one‐ and two‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey's honest significant difference (HSD) test ( α = 0.05). Results FDPs printed at 50°C demonstrated significantly lower RMS values in the intaglio region and superior marginal and internal fit compared with those printed at RT ( p < 0.001). Specimens printed at 50°C and post‐cured for ≥60 s exhibited significantly higher fracture loads than other groups ( p < 0.001). Conclusions Printing at an elevated temperature (50°C) enhanced dimensional reproducibility and fracture resistance while reducing the required post‐curing time by up to 90%. However, due to the limited sample size and the use of a single printer–material system, these findings should be considered preliminary evidence supporting the optimization of 3D printing parameters for dental prostheses fabrication.
Lee et al. (Tue,) studied this question.