DENT'IN - Research project

Dental repair is a medical procedure undergone by the majority of the population in which the aesthetic dimension is paramount given the central position of the dentition on the human face. For the manufacturers of dental composites, the formulation of the products (dosage of pigment fillers) remains a real problem in order to generate a range of shades as wide as that of the possible dentitions. For the practitioner, choosing the shade in the office remains a challenge.
Vincent Duveiller's thesis project aims to predict the appearance (colour, translucency, whiteness, etc.) of composite materials used for dental repair according to the thickness of the material, the nature and shape of its support (enamel, dentin, etc.) and the lighting conditions: direction(s), spectrum, UV, etc. Research is being carried out on optical models describing the transport of light in these highly translucent materials, as existing models are too simple to give good predictions over a wide range of thicknesses. On the other hand, they are conducted on the rigorous consideration of lighting and observation conditions in the appearance of products and teeth, and the design of optical devices adapted to the measurement of these materials. In more ambitious perspectives, a complete reproduction of appearance by manufacturing tools (3D printing) is targeted.