Dental materials include the natural tissues (enamel, dentin, cementum, bone, and other intraoral tissues) and biocompatible synthetic materials (metals, ceramics, polymers, and composite structures) used to restore decayed, damaged, or fractured teeth.
As a student in the Graduate Dental Materials Program, you will focus on restoring and maintaining patients’ oral health through materials science as you work toward a Master of Science in Dental Materials degree through the Indiana University Graduate School Indianapolis. During this two-year program, you’ll gain advanced knowledge of research and methodology for materials applications, including:
- Knowledge of the compositional and microstructural features of preventive and restorative dental materials
- Concepts of biocompatibility
- Definitions and applications of the mechanical and physical properties of dental biomaterials
- Principles of materials science as they relate to dentistry
- Education for the proper manipulation and application of dental materials
- Analysis of material and structural defects relevant to clinical failure of dental restorations and prostheses
- Criteria for selecting materials for patient-centered clinical practice