The aims of this textbook are: (1) to introduce the science of dental biomaterials science to educators and students with little or no engineering or dental background and facilitate their study of physical and chemical properties that are related to selection and use of these products by the dentist, dental assistants (nurses), dental hygienists, and dental lab techni-cians, (2) to describe the basic properties of dental materials that are related either to clinical manipulation by dentists and/or dental laboratory technicians, (3) to characterize the durability and esthetics of dental restorations and prostheses made from the restorative materials, and (4) to identify characteristics of materials that affect tissue compatibility and general biological safety. It is assumed that the reader possesses an introductory knowledge of physics or mechan-ics, as well as inorganic and organic chemistry.

The technology and information provided are intended to bridge the gap between the knowledge of biomaterials obtained in basic courses in materials engineering, chemistry, physics, and the use of the materials in the dental lab and dental clinic. A dental technique is not necessarily an empiri-cal process. In fact, it can be based on sound scientific prin-ciples as more information is available from biomedical and dental research. The 21 chapters in the 12th edition focus not just on what the materials are designed to accomplish but more on why the materials react as they do and how the manipulation variables affect their performance in dental laboratories or dental clinics..