Effects on cell differentiation and cell survival rate of the photocurable resins for stereolithography

Stereolithography, a new molding technique for polymeric materials, should also be applied as a novel method to mold biomaterials into complex curved surfaces in a short period of time using three-dimensional CAD data, which cannot be achieved with conventional cutting methods. However, photocurable resins with potent toxicity have not traditionally been applied directly in vivo as medical materials. For their application to dental molding, photocurable resins with fewer biological risks should be developed. In the present study, we compared the differentiation rates of ES-D3 cells and the survival rates of Bulb/c 3T3 cells using liquid resins, the unpolymerized products of two epoxy resins and one acrylic photocurable resin, demonstrating less biological damage with the acrylic resins. With these, safer and more reliable photocurable resins will be available for use in both medical and dental fields. In addition, scaffolds for regenerative medicine should be developed using stereolithography.