ABSTRACT
Introduction: Over the years, the demand for esthetic dentistry has grown dramatically and there has been a rapid developmentof new adhesive restorative materials with nanotechnology that can restore the color and characteristics of natural tooth. Topolymerize these materials, light-curing dental materials extensively used are quartz-tungsten-halogen (QTH) and light-emittingdiode (LED)-curing units. Literature search revealed that depth of cure and flexural strength are the most important propertiesof composite resin materials, relevant to the clinical technique of incremental packing and curing.Purpose: The objectives of the present study were to evaluate and compare the depth of cure and flexural strength of ananohybrid composite resin.Materials and Methods: Two light-curing units were selected for this study: QTH (Bonart, Unicorn) and LED (Ivoclar Vivadent,Bluephase® N). The depth of cure was evaluated with scraping technique using digital caliper and flexural strength was evaluatedusing universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min.Results: Descriptive statistics was employed to measure the mean and standard deviation of the depth of cure and flexuralstrength. Unpaired “t”-test was used to compare the study variables. Statistical significance was fixed at ≤0.05 and LED-curingunit showed significantly greater depth of cure and flexural strength when compared to QTH curing unit.Conclusion: Curing effectiveness of resin composite is dependent on the light-curing unit.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The success of dental composites in restorative dentistry stems from their good aesthetic properties andadequate durability. The clinical performance of composite resins is directly related to the degree of monomer conversion afterphoto polymerization. Placing composites at an elevated temperature reduce their viscosity and increase the efficiency ofpolymerization. Heating the composite prior to placement in the cavity increases monomer conversion rate and therefore theduration of the irradiation period may be reduced.Purpose of Study: Evaluate and compare effect of pre-heating on surface roughness and microhardness of nanohybrid compositeresin subjected to two different temperatures and two different durations using light emitting diode curing unit (LED LCU).Methods: Nanohybrid composite resin was tested at two temperatures (37°C and 55°C) and pre-heating of composite wasdone using incubator at two durations (10 and 20 minutes) respectively. Samples were injected into cylindrical Teflon molds andthe top surface of the specimens were polymerized using LED LCU for 40 s. After preservation for 24 h, specimens checkedfor surface roughness and Vickers hardness measurements. Statistical analysis were performed using one-way analysis ofvariance and Tukey post hoc test at a level of significance of P < 0.05 for both surface roughness and microhardness.Results: Pre-heating of composite affect on microhardness and did not influence on surface roughness.Conclusion: Pre-heating of resin composite increases microhardness and no significant effect on roughness.