Dental Materials – Challenge and Usage of the Latest Inventions

This paper describes a short overview of the history and classification of different materials used in dentistry, and represents the challenge and usage of the latest inventions in the field of dental materials, with special focus on gold-based alloys. Chapter 1 gives an introductory overview of dental materials’ historical evolution; chapter 2 contains a review of dental material’s classification, and chapter 3 shows new approaches in the production, characterisation and uses of gold-based alloys in dental applications. Moreover, the future role of Au in restorative and conservative dentistry is discussed compared to alternative materials. Namely, today the science of dental materials generally encompasses some of the properties of natural oral tissues compared to the synthetic materials used for prevention and restoration in dentistry.