Background: Additively manufactured surgical guides require post-processing and subsequent decontamination prior to intraoral use. Steam sterilization and chemical disinfection protocols may influence the dimensional stability of polymer-based guide materials and potentially affect clinical fit and accuracy. Objectives: This in vitro study evaluated the dimensional changes of SLA 3D-printed Surgical Guide Resin V1 (Formlabs) after steam sterilization at 121 °C (AUT121) and 134 °C (AUT134) and after disinfection using 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA70), compared with an untreated control group. Methods: Forty standardized specimens were fabricated using SLA technology and divided into four groups (n = 10/group): Control (CT), 121 °C steam sterilization (AUT121), 134 °C steam sterilization (AUT134), and IPA70 disinfection. Two linear measurement zones (L1 and L2) were assessed per specimen. Baseline measurements were recorded with a caliper (mm). Post-treatment measurements were obtained using microscopic evaluation, recorded in µm, and converted to mm for analysis. Dimensional change was calculated as ΔL = Lₐfter − Lbefore. Within-group comparisons and between-group analyses were performed with a significance level of α = 0. 05. Results: Steam sterilization at 134 °C (AUT 134) produced statistically significant dimensional changes in both zones (L1: p = 0. 036; L2: p = 0. 042). No statistically significant differences were observed in the AUT121 group (L1: p = 0. 437; L2: p = 0. 682) or the IPA70 group (L1: p = 0. 164; L2: p = 0. 086). Between-group analysis showed no significant differences for ΔL1 (p = 0. 345), whereas ΔL2 differed significantly among groups (p = 0. 021). Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, AUT134 steam sterilization significantly affected the dimensional stability of SLA-printed Surgical Guide Resin V1 specimens. The AUT121 protocol and IPA70 disinfection did not result in statistically significant dimensional changes compared with baseline.
Sîrbu et al. (2026) studied this question.