Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 19, 2026
Shrinkage of Dental Composite in Simulated Cavity Measured with Digital Image Correlation
Published on: July 21, 2014
Polymerization shrinkage of resin-based composites for dental restorations: A digital volume correlation study
Marta Gallo1, Hazem Abouelleil2, Jean Marc Chenal1
1University of Lyon, INSA de Lyon, MATEIS UMR CNRS 5510, Bât. Saint Exupery, 23 Av. Jean Capelle, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France.
Objective:
Resin-based composites are widely used in dental restorations; however, their volumetric shrinkage during polymerization leads to several issues that reduce the restoration survival rates. For overcoming this problem, a deep study of shrinkage phenomena is necessary.
Methods:
In this study, micro-tomography (μ-CT) is combined with digital volume correlation (DVC) to investigate the effect of several factors on the polymerization strain of dental composites in model cavities: the presence/absence of an adhesive, the use of transparent/blackened cavities, and irradiation times between 1 and 40s.
Results:
The results indicate that the presence of an adhesive at the interface between the cavity and composite does not reduce the total strain but instead limits it to a preferential direction. In addition, regardless of the conditions, the main strain is generated along the axis parallel to the polymerization irradiation (the vertical axis). Finally, the total strain appears to occur in the first 5s of irradiation, with no further evolution observed for longer irradiation times.
Significance:
This work provides new insight into resin-based composite shrinkage and demonstrates the benefit of coupling DVC and μ-CT to better understand the degradation mechanisms of these materials.
