abrasion resistance, ease of handling and mechanical and chemical
stability influence each other and have to be optimized in a complex
process. Despite intensive research, the polymerization shrinkage during
the curing process leads to internal stresses. The magnitude of the
stresses is influenced by the polymerization shrinkage, increasing
stiffness, decreasing viscosity, and the geometrical shape of the
cavity. During material development one has to ensure marginal integrity
of a restoration by model experiments.
We developed a testing approach for dental composites which includes a
coupled experimental and numerical method. Using this approach, we
estimated the necessary parameter that can be used for a simulation of
the build-up of internal stresses in arbitrary filling geometries.