So-called ‘Biocompatible’ Dental resins might be toxic to reproductive health.

3D printable resins used in dental applications are usually marketed as biocompatible for use in dentistry. This is the reason for the increase in the use of these resins lately. They are mostly used in medical devices and tissue-engineered constructs.

However, a recent study by Northwestern University has found that they readily leach compounds into their surroundings. These compounds can induce severe toxicity in the oocyte, the immature precursors of the egg while eventually have to be fertilized.

The whole study was carried out in mouse oocytes. The research team made this unexpected discovery while validating the use of commercially available resins to 3D print materials to culture reproductive cells.

"Our results are important because they demonstrate leachates from commonly used materials in 3D printing slated as 'biocompatible' but may have adverse effects on reproductive health," said Francesca Duncan, co-corresponding author of the study and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "There is a critical need to better understand the identity and biological impact of compounds that leach from these materials." The final study was published in the journal Chemosphere on January 26.

While there have been a few previous studies investigating potential toxicities due to exposure to 3D-printed materials, there have been no studies investigating the potential reproductive toxicities induced by these materials in mammalian models.

The research team discovered the toxicity while using 3D-printing technology to create the first ex vivo model of the female reproductive tract. They characterized the leachates of DLT resins using mass spectroscopy and identified Tinuvin 292 (BASF), a commercial light stabilizer that is commonly used in the production of plastic materials, as a major component. The researchers attributed the significant ovo-toxicity to this substance.