In dental restorations, debonding between the tooth and restoration causes critical failure. Dental composites are comprised of micron sized, spherical glass beads embedded in a UV curable polymer matrix. The evolution of the stiffness and shrinkage strain of the dental composite during cure is a key contributor to the integrity of the bond between the tooth and restoration. An experimental evaluation of the stiffness and shrinkage strain during cure will be presented. These data form the basis of a constitutive model that describes the relationship between stress and shrinkage strain. This constitutive model is incorporated into a finite element analysis, that allows dental researchers to predict shrinkage stresses at the early stages of dental composite development. Validation of the finite element analysis as well as case studies will be presented.