ReviewPolymers2026
Life-Cycle Performance of Poly(methyl methacrylate) in Digital Dentistry: A Critical Review of Material Efficiency, Waste Generation, and Circularity.
Review in Polymers, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is one of the most widely used polymeric biomaterials in prosthodontics and digital dentistry because of their clinical reliability and compatibility with computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM). Its widespread use raises questions regarding material consumption, manufacturing waste, recyclability, and circularity. A critical narrative review supported by a structured literature search was conducted. PubMed, Scilit, OpenAlex, and ScienceDirect were searched for English-language literature published from January 2000 to June 2026. Targeted Google Scholar searches, cross-referencing, standards, and official technical sources supplemented the search. Evidence was organized according to its directness to dental PMMA and synthesized thematically. Prepolymerized CAD/CAM PMMA provides consistent material quality and generally improved mechanical performance compared with conventionally processed PMMA; however, subtractive manufacturing generates disc remnants, milling particles, and polishing residues. Mechanical recycling and depolymerization demonstrate technical recovery potential, although evidence specific to heterogeneous dental waste streams, environmental performance, and clinical-grade reuse remains limited. Technical recyclability should not be automatically equated with a viable circular economy or a net environmental benefit. Future research should quantify dental PMMA waste, establish effective collection and recovery pathways, and integrate life-cycle assessments with clinical performance and safety standards.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.