Edentulism, the complete loss of teeth in an arch, affects millions of people worldwide and often leads to significant functional, aesthetic, and health-related challenges. Implant-supported dentures are widely recognized as one of the most effective treatment solutions because they help preserve bone, improve chewing efficiency, and enhance patient comfort. A critical component of these systems is the dental implant bar, which is traditionally manufactured through subtractive machining (milling). However, milling is expensive, time-consuming, and generates considerable material waste. This innovation explores the use of additive manufacturing (3D printing) and powder metallurgy to produce titanium dental implant bars, including novel lattice-structured designs that cannot be easily manufactured using conventional methods.

The project focused on developing and validating a workflow for producing Ti-6Al-4V titanium implant bars using Selective Laser Melting (SLM), a metal additive manufacturing technology. Two types of additively manufactured bars were developed and evaluated: a solid bar and a lightweight lattice-structured bar. Their mechanical performance was compared with that of conventionally milled titanium bars. The results demonstrated that additive manufacturing is a highly viable alternative to traditional milling while offering significant advantages in flexibility, cost, efficiency, and sustainability.

Mechanical testing revealed excellent performance for both additively manufactured designs. The solid 3D-printed bar exhibited the highest flexural modulus (150.3 GPa) and the highest fracture resistance (6.88 kN), outperforming the conventional milled bar. The lattice-structured version achieved a comparable fracture load (5.72 kN) while significantly reducing weight. In fact, the lattice bar was approximately 20% lighter than the solid design, providing potential benefits in patient comfort and reducing stress transferred to implants and prosthetic components. The study also showed improved stress distribution compared with traditional milled structures.

From a manufacturing perspective, the innovation produced highly accurate and clinically acceptable implant bars. All tested components demonstrated proper seating, no detectable fitting discrepancies, acceptable torque values, and excellent radiographic adaptation. Once the workflow was optimized, production became significantly more streamlined than conventional methods. Additive manufacturing reduced production time from approximately six weeks to only eleven hours, largely because verification steps required in milling workflows were eliminated.

The financial benefits are equally compelling. The average production cost of a 3D-printed implant bar was approximately CAD $260, compared with a range of CAD $1,235 to CAD $6,500 for conventionally milled bars. These savings are driven by lower material consumption, reduced labor requirements, greater manufacturing efficiency, and simplified processing.

The innovation also delivers significant sustainability advantages. Unlike milling, which removes large quantities of material from a titanium block, additive manufacturing builds components layer by layer using only the necessary material. Unused metal powder can be reused, further reducing waste. Additionally, a single build cycle can produce approximately 80 bars in 11 hours, compared with only six bars per milling disc. The streamlined clinical workflow also reduces patient visits by nearly 50%, lowering transportation-related emissions and operational costs.

Overall, this innovation demonstrates that powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing can transform the production of dental implant bars. By enabling stronger, lighter, less expensive, and more sustainable implant structures, while making advanced lattice geometries possible, this technology has the potential to significantly improve both clinical outcomes and accessibility to implant-supported dental treatments.