Evaluation of irradiance and radiant exposure on the polymerization and mechanical properties of a resin composite

Abstract The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of irradiance and radiant exposure on the chemical-mechanical properties of a resin composite. A micro-hybrid resin composite (Clearfil AP-X, Kuraray) was investigated under two different irradiances: low (300 mW/cm2) and high (800 mW/cm2) and radiant exposures: 8 and 16 J/cm2. Four groups, named Low 8 J/cm2, High 8 J/cm2, Low 16 J/cm2, and High 16 J/cm2 were tested, and their flexural strengths, elastic moduli, depths of cure, and degrees of conversion were evaluated. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test. A multiple linear regression model was used to correlate the irradiance and radiant exposure with dependent variables (α = 0.05). Irradiance and radiant exposure were found statistically significant for all dependent variables. The interaction between the factors was statistically significant only for the degree of conversion and elastic modulus. Group Low 16 J/cm2 exhibited a significantly superior performance in all the evaluated properties. Barring the degree of conversion, no significant differences were observed among the properties evaluated between the Low 8 J/cm2 and High 8 J/cm2 groups. The adjusted R2 values were high for the depth of cure and degree of conversion (0.58 and 0.96, respectively). Both irradiance and radiant exposure parameters play an important role in establishing the final properties of a micro-hybrid resin composite. Irradiance has a greater influence under higher radiant exposures.

Effect of radiant exposure and UV accelerated aging on physico-chemical and mechanical properties of composite resins

Abstract Currently, there is no consensus in terms of defining the minimum radiant exposure values necessary for achieving adequate properties of composite resin. In addition, the long-term influence that radiant exposure has on the properties of composite resins is still questionable. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of radiant exposure and UV accelerated aging on the physico-chemical and mechanical properties of micro-hybrid and nanofilled composite resins. Material and Methods: A nanofilled (Filtek Supreme; 3M ESPE) and a micro-hybrid composite resin (Filtek Z250; 3M ESPE) were investigated under different radiant exposures (3.75, 9, and 24 J/cm2) and UV accelerated aging protocols (0, 500, 1000, and 1500 aging hours). The degree of conversion (DC), flexural strength (FS), modulus (M), water sorption (WS), and solubility (WL) were evaluated. The results obtained were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test. Comparisons were performed using a significance level of α=0.05. Results: The DC, FS, and M were found to be significantly influenced by both radiant exposure and accelerated aging time. The DC and EM increased with radiant exposure in the no-aging group (0-hour aging) for both micro-hybrid and nanofilled composites, whereas no correlation was found after accelerated aging protocols. WS and WL of micro-hybrid and nanofilled composite resins were scarcely affected by radiant exposure (p>0.05), whereas they were significantly reduced by accelerated aging (p<0.001). Conclusions: Although increasing radiant exposure affected the degree of conversion and mechanical properties of micro-hybrid and nanofilled composites, no influence on the hydrolytic degradation of the material was observed. In contrast, UV accelerated aging affected both the physico-chemical and mechanical properties of the composites.