Advances in Restorative Dental Materials: Towards Enhanced Aesthetics, Function and Durability
A Special Issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944) belonging to the section "Biomaterials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2027 | Viewed by 93
Editor
Interests: digital dentistry; oral implantology; bone imaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The sustained demand for restorative biomaterials with enhanced aesthetics, long-term durability, and optimal bio-compatibility continues to drive innovation in dentistry. Modern prosthodontics stands at a unique crossroads, benefiting from advances in next-generation materials, ultra-precise CAD-CAM fabrication, and artificial intelligence. For decades, 3Y-TZP zirconia dominated posterior prosthodontics for its exceptional fracture toughness, yet its high opacity limited monolithic anterior applications. The shift toward multi-layered 4Y TZP and 5Y TZP zirconia could resolve optical limitations by boosting translucency, though it introduces critical trade-offs between light transmission and mechanical robustness, alongside persistent risks of low-temperature degradation (LTD) in humid oral environments. On the other hand, intraoral scanning and CAD CAM milling can ensure exceptional marginal adaptation, predictable fit, and optimized rapid sintering protocols that mitigate low-temperature degradation. Elevating this digital pipeline further, the integration of artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms now automates complex prosthetic design, utilizing large anatomical datasets to instantly propose precise crown geometries and simulate long-term stress distribution.
However, several issues still need attention, including material sintering optimization, long-term stress distribution prediction, and across different yttria compositions in high-translucency zirconia variants. These conflicting priorities present urgent opportunities for material scientists and dental clinicians to develop balanced, clinically applicable solutions collaboratively. Under this background, this Special Issue aims to present and share recent advances in novel restorative dental biomaterials, digital CAD-CAM fabrication workflows, and the integration of artificial intelligence for predictable, aesthetic, and exceptionally durable dental restorations. We welcome contributions covering next-generation restorative dental materials, digital manufacturing optimization, AI-assisted prosthetic design, and in vitro/in vivo performance validation of zirconia and alternative restorative materials.
Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Novel zirconia‑based ceramics (including 3Y‑, 4Y‑, and 5Y‑TZP multi-layered systems) and their phase transformation behavior, fracture toughness, translucency, and low‑temperature degradation resistance;
- Development and basic characterization of advanced restorative biomaterials (such as glass‑ceramics, resin-based composites, bioactive and smart materials, and other emerging candidates);
- Long‑term performance comparisons of next‑generation dental materials under simulated oral aging and hydrothermal conditions;
- Optimized rapid sintering protocols for monolithic zirconia within digital intraoral scanning and CAD‑CAM milling pipelines;
- Machine learning and AI‑driven approaches for material composition optimization, process parameter tuning, and prediction of clinical failure modes;
- Deep learning and anatomical dataset frameworks for automated restoration geometry generation and long-term occlusal stress simulation;
- Cross-disciplinary material engineering strategies to upgrade the clinical reliability of fully digital prosthodontic workflows.
Dr. Arthur R. G. Cortes
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- restorative dental biomaterials
- dental ceramics
- aesthetics and durability
- CAD-CAM optimization
- artificial intelligence
- digital manufacturing
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