Rational design of dental materials using computational chemistry.

One of our primary research emphases is the rational design of biomaterials. In this effort we apply a combination of theoretical and experimental approaches, both of which contribute directly to the completion of such a project. Computational chemistry has achieved routine status in modern chemical investigations, and the state-of-the-art is briefly summarized. In such a difficult endeavor as the systematic development of biomaterials, computational chemistry is a natural partner for traditional chemists. Herein, we describe several successful applications of this synergy to the design of dental biomaterials. These include reactivity modeling, sensitization, and density. We also report preliminary progress of polymerization volume change experiments on epoxides that have been specifically designed to provide standardized results for computational analysis.