Abstract
Proper curing of composites is critical to obtaining good toughness able to withstand masticatory forces. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of curing techniques - conventional (CONV), Soft -start (SS) and Pulse delayed (PA) in microhardness of three composites. To make up the body-of - evidence were used composites Filtek Z350 (3M ESPE), Empress Direct (IvoclarVivadent) and P90 (3M ESPE). Nine experimental groups were obtained according to the polymerization technique and composite resin. Twenty -four hours after curing was performed Knoop microhardness test surfaces of base and top of each body - of - evidence. Thus, the values obtained were subjected to the Kruskal Wallis test followed by Dunn's test, p < 0.05. The effectiveness of the polymerization on the top surface of the composites tested was not affected by different modes of polymerization. The Empress Direct composite resin showed the lowest hardness values for all modes of polymerization compared to other composites evaluated.
Keywords:
photopolymerization; knoop hardness; composite resin