A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF HOTPRESS, CAD/CAM CASTING AND SHELL SINTERING TECHNOLOGY (SST) FOR PORCELAIN DENTAL CROWN PRODUCTION

This study was conducted to determine the economic impact of producing dental prostheses using three alternative methods: traditional casting (hotpress), CAD/CAM casting, and shell sintering technology (SST). In order to evaluate costs, get accurate information, and quantify overhead aspects, deterministic bottom-up economic models were used. The inputs utilised to create the models focused on the costs of materials, equipment, labour, and the time required to complete each stage of the porcelain crown manufacturing process. The economic models revealed that the SST method has the lowest material and labour costs, while the hotpress technique has the lowest equipment expenses. However, hotpress had the highest manufacturing costs and is thus the most expensive technology, with an average return on investment of 17% and a payback period of 5.9 years. In second place, despite the significant material and equipment acquisition costs, the CAD/CAM Casting process achieved a 35% ROI with an average payback period of 2.9 years. Even though these economic values are adequate, the SST technology revealed extremely advantageous values for low and large-scale processing of dental crowns, achieving above 180% ROI with a payback of 0.5 years. The key finding from all the data is that SST has excellent economics and has the potential to improve the dental prosthesis manufacturing industry.