Development of 3D Printed Endodontic Typodonts for Simulated Practice

Objectives: To develop a technical workflow to allow the creation of 3D Printed Endodontic training typodonts from ex vivo CBCT scans. This workflow will enhance student self-efficacy and psychomotor skills by giving them broader experience in pre-clinical practice of a variety of clinical scenarios.
Methods: Ex-vivo CBCT scan data was collected of intact extracted teeth which was then imported into Materialise Mimics for the data to be segmented into three individual parts (enamel, dentine and pulp); the segmented data is exported into CAD software (3-Matic), where the segmentation refinement takes place. Once the refinement is completed the three files are exported as a printable object.
Printing of the endodontic teeth is carried out on a Polyjet printer (Stratasys J5) to produce a multi-material, multi-coloured object. The parts can be assigned specific colours and materials to support different clinical applications and phases of training.
Results: Model validation and iterative testing was completed by specialist endodontists and endodontic trainees, with comparison to teeth that were currently used (DRSK). Clinical performance and design modifications improved development of canal identification and negotiation, which were seen as a substantial improvement.
Conclusions: The preliminary feedback of the performance of the 3d printed endodontic training teeth was positive and showed the benefits of creating this workflow to produce in house training teeth to meet our students’ educational needs. Further pre-clinical research is now planned to investigate student reported experience measures.