Smart Materials in Dentistry

With the development of material science, many new, high-quality and cost-efficient materials have come into use in various field of dentistry. In the last ten decades, the materials became multifunctional and required the optimization of different characterization and properties. With the last evolution, the concept has been driving towards composite materials and recently, the next evolutionary step is being contemplated with the concept of smart materials. Smart materials are new generation materials surpassing the conventional structural and functional materials. Smartness describes self-adaptability, self-sensing, memory and multiple functionalities of the materials or structures. These characteristics provide numerous possible applications for these materials and structures in aerospace, manufacturing, civil infrastructure systems, biomechanics and environment. This book highlights the various smart materials used in dental practice.