Digital Manufacturing of Calcium Phosphate-Based Dental Materials: From Design to Clinical Use

TL;DR

This review explores how digital manufacturing techniques are used to create calcium phosphate-based dental materials and their potential for clinical applications.

Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive synthesis of digitally manufactured calcium phosphate-based dental materials and their clinical relevance.

Findings

Digital manufacturing affects phase composition, microstructure, and mechanical performance of calcium phosphate materials.

Material brittleness and dimensional instability during sintering remain significant challenges.

Standardized evaluation methods and long-term clinical studies are needed for translational success.

Abstract

Calcium phosphate-based materials are widely used in dental applications due to their bioactivity and compositional similarity to mineralized tissues. This narrative review synthesizes the peer-reviewed literature published between 2014 and 2024 identified using Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed, with a specific focus on digitally manufactured calcium phosphate-based dental materials. This review integrates evidence on calcium phosphate phase chemistry and advanced material systems, material configurations compatible with digital workflows and digital manufacturing routes. Emphasis is placed on how fabrication parameters and post-processing—particularly thermal treatment and densification—affect phase composition, microstructure/porosity, mechanical performance, and biological behavior. The current limitations reported in the literature are addressed, including material brittleness, dimensional instability during sintering, heterogeneity of fabrication protocols, and the lack of standardized evaluation methods. The restricted availability of long-term and clinically relevant evidence is also discussed in relation to translational applications. Future research should prioritize well-designed clinical studies to validate the use of digitally manufactured calcium phosphate-based materials in guided bone regeneration, socket preservation, and implant-related procedures.

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