Dear Colleagues,

In the last decade or so, resin composites have emerged as the undisputed choice for direct dental restorations. Despite this, they still face significant challenges in optimising their properties. These can undermine their clinical longevity. Research on these materials has expanded substantially, and the topic now covers, apart from traditional resin composites, specific areas such as antimicrobial resin composites, bioactive materials, and self-healing formulations. A plethora of techniques is now routinely used in dental biomaterials, including spectroscopic techniques, such as FTIR, AFM, XPS, DSC and coupled with imaging techniques such as micro-CT, SEM, TEM, and various analytical techniques, such as HPLC and gas chromatography. All of these are always supported by a range of mechanical properties emphasizing the fatigue of materials and adopting a more forensic approach with techniques such as fractography.

In this Special Issue, we aim to gather a selection of papers covering all aspects of dental micro- and nanocomposite materials. Some of the key areas will be nanoparticles, in particular their synthesis and incorporation in novel formulation of resin composites. Additionally, the issue will include antibacterial composites, emphasizing the biological aspect of either matrix or nanoparticles. This also applies to CAD/CAM composites that are increasing in popularity.

More speculative areas that have attracted a lot of attention recently such as nanocoatings and biomineralization are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Nikolaos Silikas
Prof. Paulo Francısco Cesar
Guest Editors

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• nanocomposites
• nanoparticles
• bulk fill
• CAD/CAM composites
• nanocoating
• matrix
• antibacterial