In this paper, nanotechnology for the improvement of dental composite resins has been reviewed in the background of the existing shortcomings, focusing on the improvement for polymerization shrinkage, anti-bacterial properties and mechanical properties of composite resins. The results show that the use of nanotechnology and nano materials can be an effective method to improve the performance of dental composite resins in a various ways. At last, the paper also gives a future perspective of dental composite resins.