Smart materials and Glass Ionomer Cement

No single material in dentistry that can fulfil all the requirements of an ideal material. As the quest for an ideal dental material continues, new generation materials get introduced. Smart behaviour occurs when a material can sense some stimulus from its environment and react to it in a useful, reliable, reproducible, and usually reversible manner. Ever since the development of GICs nearly three decades ago, these materials have found increasing applications in clinical dentistry. It plays an important role in preventive a well as restorative dentistry.Glass ionomers have been a mainstay of restorative dentistry for children. Their many formulations, clinical uses, and unique advantages have made these materials an essential part of everyday practice for paediatric dentistry.