Introduction/ObjectiveIn an attempt to simplify dental procedures, a new group of resin cements, self-adhesive resin cements (SARCs), have been introduced. Performance of SARCs can widely vary. One of the main reasons of adhesion failure is polymerization shrinkage. The aim of this study was to determine, evaluate, and measure strain field of self-adhesive dual cure resin cement during polymerization in self-cure mode using 3D digital image correlation (DIC) method. Methods The self-adhesive Maxcem Elite (Kerr, Orange, CA, USA) cement was tested in five cylindrical samples (5 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness) prepared by filling plastic ring-type molds. Digital images were recorded immediately after sample preparation. Results Non-uniform strain distribution was found in resin cement with higher strain values along the periphery (up to 15%) and lower strain values in central parts (around 4%) of each sample. Conclusion It can be concluded that DIC is a powerful tool for full-field strain measurements in material characterization.