Recently, significant advancement has occurred in vibrational (Fourier transform infrared [FTIR] and Raman) spectroscopy associated with dental materials. FTIR and Raman spectroscopies have emerged as significant breakthrough techniques and offer exciting new possibilities in the area of dental materials. These techniques have been used to obtain chemical images of formulations and allow researchers to find out the in situ structure of materials. This review summarizes the information obtained from these two techniques and their application in dental material sciences. The presented database of vibrational spectroscopy facilitated the appropriate identification of frequently used dental materials ranging from filling, obturating, adhesive, lining/luting materials, and prosthodontics materials. Spectral peaks that are related to these materials are discussed in detail, which provided crucial data in understanding the chemical structural properties. The application of vibrational spectroscopy allowed for a quick differential identification of typical dental materials composed of organic and inorganic compounds. From our study as well as the literature reviewed, it appeared that investigators uniformly confirmed the benefits of vibrational spectroscopy concerning identification of chemical functional groups of different chemical compositions. The diagnostic and prognostic tools based on these technologies have the potential to revolutionize our concepts leading to improve materials sciences and clinical application. © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.