Mathematical Models for Dental Materials Research

Dr. Alex Fok is a Professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and Director of the Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics (MDRCBB)? at the University of Minnesota. He has expertise in stress and structural analysis. His research activities cover a range of topics in the biomechanics of dental restorations. These include probabilistic failure analysis, shrinkage stress and strain, design of mechanical tests, nondestructive examination and shape optimization. A principal aim of his research is to instill more rigorous engineering principles into the design and assessment of dental restorations and treatments so as to improve their reliability.Dr. Hooi Pin Chew is an Associate Professor in the Biomaterials Division of the Department of Restorative Sciences, University of Minnesota. She received her specialist training in Restorative Dentistry from the Royal College of Surgeon England. Her research interests are mainly driven by clinical practice and teaching and most of her research are translational in nature. Her research activities include development of optical techniques such as optical coherence tomography as objective clinical tools to detect and quantify dental erosion and dental caries, the study of erosive wear and its associated risk factors and the conduct of clinical trials for dental restorative materials.