Influence of Post-Printing Polymerization Time on the Elution of Residual Monomers and Water Sorption of 3D-Printed Resin Composite
Shaima Alharbi, Abdulrahman Alshabib, Hamad Algamaiah, Muath Aldosari, Abdullah S. Alayad
Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of post-printing polymerization time on residual monomer elution and water sorption in a 3D-printed resin composite. Eighty samples were fabricated and assigned to four groups based on post-curing duration: 0, 20, 40, and 60 min. Each group was subdivided according to two storage conditions (distilled water and 75% ethanol–water solution), and evaluated at 1 and 7 days. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) quantified eluted monomers. Additionally, 40 specimens underwent a 4-month sorption/desorption cycle for water sorption and solubility assessment. Data were statistically analyzed using kernel regression (monomer data) and Welch ANOVA (water sorption and solubility) at a significance level of p < 0.05. BisEMA was the only monomer detected, with significantly higher elution recorded in ethanol-based storage. Increasing post-curing time notably reduced both monomer release and water sorption/solubility (p < 0.001); however, the optimal results were observed at 40 min post-curing. These findings suggest that extending post-curing beyond an optimal threshold does not further improve composite properties, underscoring the importance of identifying precise curing parameters in order to enhance durability and material performance.