Conocimiento y criterio de los odontólogos sobre el uso de impresoras 3D en rehabilitación oral.

Abstract

Introduction 3D printing is progressively integrated into digital dentistry and oral rehabilitation, but the level of knowledge and practice in recent graduates is variable. Methodology: an observational and cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out using Google forms surveys. 60 dentists graduated from the Universidad Católica Santiago de Guayaquil were invited from 2020 to 2025; Non-probabilistic convenience sampling was applied and 43 responses were analyzed. It evaluates the knowledge of the participants through a questionnaire of 18 questions, with a Crombach's Alpha=0.94. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed in sps based on frequencies and percentages. Results: 93.0% reported knowing digital technology and 86% 3D printing. the most well-known application was for crowns and bridges (60.5%); FDM (23.3%) was the most mentioned technology and photopolymerizable resin was the most mentioned material (51.2%). Intraoral scanning predominated (93.0%) and 58.1% did not receive training. 88.4% preferred 3D printing over conventional methods and 100% considered it necessary to expand their teaching. The recognized advantages were time savings and precision (34.9%), and the main limitation cost (67.4%). Conclusion: Recent graduates show familiarity and intention to adopt, with training gaps and economic barriers.