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_Editorial_  
Special Issue on Dental Materials: Latest Advances  
and Prospects  
**[PERSON]**  
Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]; Tel. : +39-0594224763  
Most fields of dentistry are closely related to newly developed materials, and all clinical improvements often follow or, in any case, go hand in hand with the creation and development of innovative and higher-performing materials, instruments, and equipment. Thanks to contemporary dental material applications, the effectiveness of clinical dentistry has made remarkable advances. In recent years, new materials have been developed and proposed in each field of dentistry: prosthesis, restorative dentistry, endodontics, implantology, and orthodontics. Unfortunately, as often happens, this productive challenge is not always accompanied by valid scientific research, and consequently, the clinician finds at his disposal materials that are not necessarily better than the previous ones. The aim of this Special Issue was to collect high-quality research articles, clinical studies, review articles, and case reports focused on the latest advances and prospects of dental materials. A total of 19 papers (17 research papers and 2 review papers) are presented in this successful Special Issue. [PERSON] et al. [1] evaluated the efficacy of erosion-infiltration treatments with resin in children with a strong hypersensitivity and also developed a minimally invasive diagnostic-therapeutic pathway for young MIH patients. All patients reported lower sensitivity values at the end of the treatment. The authors concluded that the treatment of erosion infiltration with resin is a minimally invasive preventive treatment that significantly improves the problem of hypersensitivity in permanent molars with MIH. [PERSON] et al. [2] aimed to assess how selected restorative materials influence the environmental pH. The initial pH levels were significantly lower for glass ionomer cements compared to composites. With time, the pH increased for samples with glass ionomer cements, whereas it decreased for samples with composites. In the end, all materials were in the pH range between 5.3 and 6.0. The authors concluded that, immediately after application, restorative materials decrease the environmental pH, especially light-cured glass ionomer cements. For glass ionomers, within two weeks, the pH increased to levels comparable with composites. [PERSON] et al. [3] compared the effect of two different layering techniques of the dental composite in reducing the marginal microleakage when a brand-new material is used. Some better results were obtained for the oblique layering technique, but the differences from the other method have not been statistically validated. [PERSON] et al. [4], with an in vitro study, evaluated the changes in surface morphology and flexural strength of translucent monolithic zirconia surfaces treated with femtosecond laser technology. The surface roughness after femtosecond laser treatment was significantly improved compared with the negative control group and the group that received the airborne particle abrasion treatment. In comparison with the airborne particle abrasion group, the flexural strength of the group that received the femtosecond laser treatment was significantly improved. The femtosecond laser approach using appropriate parameters seemed to enhance the roughness of the zirconia without reducing its flexural strength. [PERSON] et al. [5] evaluated the effect of different manufacturing techniques and pontic design on the vertical marginal fit of cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) posterior fixed partial denture (FPD) frameworks. The vertical marginal discrepancy values of all FPDs were below 50 \(\upmu\)m. No differences were found among intermediate pontic groups or cantilevered groups. Likewise, when differences in a marginal discrepancy between both framework designs were analyzed, no differences were observed.