Purpose: To evaluate the effect of build direction on the surface roughness (Ra) of stereolithography (SLA) printed full-coverage anterior dental restorations before and after surface polishing.

Materials and methods: A total of 45 full-coverage dental restorations were 3D printed using the SLA additive manufacturing technique. Five groups were defined based on the build angles: 90, 120, 135, 150, and 180 degrees. The Ra was measured with the contact profilometer to evaluate the arithmetic average of the absolute Ra value on the labial surface before and after polishing procedures. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA, and statistical significance was set at α = .05.

Results: The highest Ra was recorded in specimens printed with the 90-degree build angle, whereas the lowest values were recorded in specimens printed with the 180-degree build angle (P = .000). In all groups, the Ra values measured after polishing were significantly lower than prepolished values (P = .000), with no difference among the different build angles.

Conclusion: Build angle significantly influenced the Ra of the SLA-printed full-coverage restorations. Polishing minimized the effect of build angle on the Ra. The 180-degree build angle is recommended when SLA printing an anterior restoration, as it provides the lowest Ra values and also requires a minimal support area and minimal number of support structures.