Sustainability in Healthcare Sector: The Dental Aligners Case

Chiara Caelli; Francesco Tamburrino; Carlo Brondi; Armando Viviano Razionale; Andrea Ballarino; Sandro Barone

doi:10.20944/preprints202311.0057.v1

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preprints.org > engineering > bioengineering > doi: 10.20944/preprints202311.0057.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Sustainability in Healthcare Sector: The Dental Aligners Case

Chiara Caelli

^* ,

Francesco Tamburrino

Carlo Brondi

Armando Viviano Razionale

Andrea Ballarino

Sandro Barone

Version 1 : Received: 31 October 2023 / Approved: 1 November 2023 / Online: 1 November 2023 (13:10:11 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Caelli, C.; Tamburrino, F.; Brondi, C.; Razionale, A.V.; Ballarino, A.; Barone, S. Sustainability in Healthcare Sector: The Dental Aligners Case. Sustainability 2023, 15, 16757. Caelli, C.; Tamburrino, F.; Brondi, C.; Razionale, A.V.; Ballarino, A.; Barone, S. Sustainability in Healthcare Sector: The Dental Aligners Case. Sustainability 2023, 15, 16757.

Abstract

The study conducts a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis to assess the environmental impact of two different manufacturing processes used to produce transparent dental aligners. The former method consists of thermoforming a polymeric disc over 3D printed, customized models, while the second, more innovative approach involves the direct printing of aligners using additive manufacturing (AM), specifically applying digital light processing (DLP) technology. The analysis results highlight how adopting direct printing through AM brings significant advantages in terms of environmental sustainability, thanks to the substantial reduction in raw materials and electricity consumption. These drops translate into decreased potential environmental impacts across all impact categories considered within the EF 3.1 method. Furthermore, lowering the amount of raw materials needed in the direct printing process contributes to a notable decrease in the overall volume of waste generated, emphasising the environmental benefits of this innovative technique.

Keywords

Sustainability; Healthcare; Additive Manufacturing; Life Cycle Assessment

Subject

Engineering, Bioengineering

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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