Abstract
The polymerization shrinkage of dental restorative resin composites in cavities was studied using a digital image correlation method. The cylindrical and semi-cylindrical cavities in bovine teeth were used to examine the shrinkage behavior on the top free surface and the simulated cross section, respectively. The cavities filled with the resin after spreading a bonding agent were irradiated using a visible-light curing unit and photographed with a CCD camera as a function of time. The two images photographed were correlated to study the deformation during the polymerization process. Experiments were also performed on the cavities without the bonding agent, and its effect on the bonding strength at the interface between the resin and tooth structure was examined.
