Refraction of light

What is Refraction?
Refraction is the bending of light when it
travels from one medium to another.

-Refraction is the result of difference in

refractive indices of the 2 media.

-Refractive index is the measure of the

bending of a ray of light when passing
from one medium into another.

E.g. : Water & air are 2 media with

different densities meaning they have
different refractive indices. Light travels
faster in air than in water causing the light
to refract when it reaches the denser
medium. Thus the shifted appearance of
the pencil.
 Dental Application

What is the importance

of refractive index in Studies have shown that; fillers with
dentistry? the refractive index of 1.53 mixed into
BisGMA/TEGDMA resin with the
The refractive index of the fillers & resin refractive index of 1.524 resulted in
system affects the light scattering and composite resin providing a good
translucency of dental resin composite and color match with surrounding
this would affect the composite color- structure giving “chameleon
effect”.
matching or blending with surrounding
tissues.
- The refractive indices of the restorative
material have to be close to obtain the
Chameleon Effect.
-Chameleon effect is defined as the
ability of the restorative material to adjust
their color to suit that of their surrounding
tissue. This is typically marked by a shift in
the shade of the composite resin.
 Dental Application

Other uses of Refraction in

Dentistry
- Restorative Dentistry:
Influences the performance of materials in
restorative procedures.

- Prosthodontics:
Enables the selection of materials that
harmoniously blend with neighboring teeth
for prosthodontic applications.

-Orthodontics:
Helps in selecting materials that blend with
natural teeth for orthodontic appliances.