Sustainability in Healthcare Sector: The Dental Aligners Case

Chiara Caelli (), Francesco Tamburrino (), Carlo Brondi, Armando Viviano Razionale, Andrea Ballarino and Sandro Barone
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Chiara Caelli: CNR STIIMA—Institute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing, National Research Council, Via Alfonso Corti 12, 20133 Milan, Italy
Francesco Tamburrino: Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Carlo Brondi: CNR STIIMA—Institute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing, National Research Council, Via Alfonso Corti 12, 20133 Milan, Italy
Armando Viviano Razionale: Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Andrea Ballarino: CNR STIIMA—Institute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing, National Research Council, Via Alfonso Corti 12, 20133 Milan, Italy
Sandro Barone: Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56122 Pisa, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 24, 1-14

Abstract: Additive manufacturing is a technology gaining ground in fields where a high degree of product customization is required; in particular, several aspects need to be explored concerning traditional technologies, such as the variety of materials and their consumption. It also remains to be clarified whether these technologies can contribute to the ecological transition when applied in healthcare. This study compares two technologies for producing clear dental aligners: thermoforming and direct 3D printing. The former method thermoforms a polymeric disc over 3D-printed, customized models. The second, more innovative approach involves directly printing aligners using Additive Manufacturing (AM), specifically applying Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology. The study conducts a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis to assess the environmental impact of these two different manufacturing processes. The research results highlight that adopting direct printing through AM can bring advantages in terms of environmental sustainability, thanks to the reduction in raw materials and electricity consumption. These drops are drivers for the decreased potential environmental impacts across all impact categories considered within the EF 3.1 method. Furthermore, lowering the amount of raw material needed in the direct printing process contributes to a notable decrease in the overall volume of waste generated, emphasizing the environmental benefits of this technique.

Keywords: sustainability; healthcare; additive manufacturing; life cycle assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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