Esthetic Techniques and Restorative Systems Used in the Second-Year Undergraduate Dental Curriculum

Metal-free tooth-colored restorative systems for fabricating indirect intracoronal and extracoronal restorations have been developed because of patients' demand for superior esthetics. During the past decade, long-term clinical studies have demonstrated the success of many of these types of restorations in terms of function and esthetics. Ceramic veneers, all-ceramic crowns, ceramic onlays, and composite-resin inlays are becoming an integral part of contemporary clinical practice. The constant evolution in bonding techniques, adhesive systems, and cements plays a major role in the success of these metal-free restorations. In addition, home-bleaching procedures have become an integral part of the esthetically oriented dental practice. This article discusses the rationale, scientific basis, and implementation of a new undergraduate preclinical esthetics course for second-year dental students at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Changes in the undergraduate dental curriculum are ultimately necessary to provide undergraduate students with the adequate theoretic knowledge and clinical skills they require to face challenging practice demands and patients' requests for esthetic restorations. The implementation of the Preclinical Esthetics course at Louisiana State University School of Dentistry gives undergraduate dental students a foundation for restoring patients with indirect tooth-colored restorations, such as composite-resin inlays, ceramic onlays, ceramic veneers, and all-ceramic crowns, and vital bleaching procedures.