3D Printing in Dentistry and Targeted Drug Delivery: A New Era of Personalized and Precision Medicine

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing, a transformative additive manufacturing technology, has ushered in a new era
of personalized and precision medicine in both dentistry and drug delivery. This review explores the evolution
and integration of 3D printing with digital workflows such as computer-aided design and computer-aided
manufacturing, highlighting its application in fabricating custom dental prostheses, orthodontic aligners, surgical
guides, and implant planning tools. It also examines the development of patient-specific drug delivery systems
using 3D-printed devices with programmable release profiles, tailored for pediatric, geriatric, and chronic disease
management. Core printing technologies such as stereolithography, digital light processing, selective laser sintering,
fused deposition modeling, and photopolymer jetting are compared based on precision, material compatibility,
and clinical use. The review further delves into recent advancements in regenerative dentistry, such as bioactive
scaffolds and stem-cell-loaded constructs for tissue engineering. Challenges like biomaterial cytotoxicity, post
processing inaccuracies, regulatory gaps, and cost barriers are analyzed alongside emerging solutions. Future
directions, including four-dimensional materials, artificial intelligence-driven predictive modeling, point-of-care
manufacturing, and sustainable printing materials, are proposed. This synthesis bridges engineering and clinical
practice, underlining the profound potential of 3D printing to transform oral healthcare and drug therapy delivery