Color Stability and Roughness of Ocular Prosthesis Between Heat-Cured Acrylic and 3D Printed Acrylic After Artificial Weathering

Eye loss can majorly impact a person's look, functionality, and psychological well-being. This study addresses a critical gap in understanding the durability of ocular prostheses by investigated the surface roughness and color stability of ocular prostheses fabricated using three-dimensional (3D) printing and heat-cured polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) acrylic resin (QC-20 heat polymerize) after they were subjected to artificial weathering. Two techniques were used to create 100 samples (2 mm thickness and 20 mm diameter) that were fabricated and divided into 50 heat-cured PMMA samples, and 50 samples were made using Next Dent Denture 3D acrylic resin printed with 3D printing technology stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer. All samples were subjected to 300 h of artificial weathering using a weathering chamber. Color changes were tested using a spectrophotometer, while surface roughness micrometers (mu m) were measured with a profilometer. Descriptive statistics were used, followed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent sample t-tests were used, and the significance level was alpha = 0.05. The results demonstrated a significant difference in color stability between the two materials and fabrication methods; the highest mean Delta E observed in heat-cured PMMA samples was 2.67 (p = 0.003) and the lowest in 3D-printed samples Delta E of 1.42, respectively. Regarding surface roughness, PMMA demonstrated the highest mean of 0.58 mu m, while the lowest mean was with the 3D-printed samples at 0.33 mu m (p = 0.001), 3D-printed prostheses exhibiting superior resistance to color changes after weathering. 3D-printed prostheses maintained a significantly smoother surface texture compared to heat-cured acrylic ones. These findings concluded that 3D-printed ocular prostheses offer potential advantages in color stability and surface smoothness, potentially enhancing esthetic outcomes, wearability, and patient satisfaction.