Objective To analyze the effect of light-curing resin on masticatory function and aesthetic effect in patients with tooth defect. Methods A total of 80 patients with tooth defect diagnosed and treated in the Department of Stomatology, Luodian County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from January 2023 to January 2024 were selected as the research subjects, and they were divided into the control group and the observation group by the random number table method, with 40 patients in each group. The control group was treated with conventional inlay restoration, and the observation group was treated with light-curing resin restoration. The clinical efficacy, masticatory function and aesthetic effect were compared between the two groups. Results The total effective rate of restoration in the observation group was 95.00%, which was higher than 80.00% in the control group (P <0.05). The masticatory efficiency in the observation group 1 year after restoration was higher than that in the control group (P <0.05). The scores of PES and WES in the observation group 1 year after restoration were higher than those in the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion Light-curing resin has an ideal clinical effect in the restoration of tooth defect, which can effectively improve masticatory efficiency and dental aesthetic effect, and is worthy of clinical application.