Introduction: Over recent decades, the field of laboratory dental prosthetics has experienced significant advancements, fundamentally reshaping dental care. Traditionally, dental prosthetics relied on metals, ceramics, and basic polymers. However, the integration of new technologies has introduced advanced materials from other industries into dentistry, particularly synthetic polymers from the PAEK family. These thermoplastic materials, renowned for their chemical resistance and high-temperature stability, have enhanced potential in dental applications. Among these, PEEK has already found use in medical implants but remains largely unexplored in laboratory dental prosthetics. Purpose: This thesis explores the properties and potential applications of PEEK and its composites in laboratory dental prosthetics. Methods: The theoretical framework is based on an extensive review of international and domestic scholarly articles, accessed through online databases. Results: In the results, we investigated the mechanical properties (strength, hardness, elastic modulus) and other specific physical properties of PEEK and compared them with the properties of some other materials used in laboratory dental prosthetics, as well as PEEK with composites. In addition, we presented the use of PEEK and its composites in laboratory dental prosthetics. Discussion and conclusion: We found that PEEK and its composites have suitable mechanical properties for use in laboratory dental prosthetics. Due to mechanical properties similar to those of bone, PEEK is suitable for use in removable and fixed dental prosthetics, as well as in orthodontics, and as a material for dental implants. Based on the analysis and comparison of the properties of PEEK and its composites with the properties of dental materials (such as dental alloys and ceramics), which have been used in dental prosthetics for a long time, we found that PEEK and its composites are very suitable for use. However, the number of studies on its long-term stability is still limited, making it difficult to predict with certainty how these materials will behave after several years of use.
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