This course is designed to provide students with the basics of dental materials science. It also aims to provide a perspective on newly developed materials and on improvements to those currently in use in the field of prosthodontics. This includes the introduction to the main materials applied in the dental services (clinics, labs, hospitals?), their physical properties, handling characteristics, their use in the fabrication of dental appliances or the maintenance of dental materials once they are placed in the mouth. Such knowledge will be applied for the selection and provision of optimal dental care within the dental clinic and is instrumental in educating patients in the home maintenance of restorations and prostheses as well as preventive education and therapy.