Polymerization of Composite Resins: Dental Chemistry

A composite is defined as the combination of two or more chemically different materials that have properties better than when the compounds act alone. Resin composites, which are used in dentistry, are compounds composed of three separate agents that act together to form a rigid polymer.
The three agents that act together to form the polymer include, an organic resin matrix, inorganic filler, and a coupling agent. The most important agent, the organic resin matrix, is typically composed of a compound referred as bis-GMA, or bisphenol A glycidyl methacrylate. This aromatic methacrylate i…