Light Transmittance and Depth of Cure of a Bulk Fill Composite Based on the Exposure Reciprocity Law

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the exposure reciprocity law of a multi-wave light-emitting diode (LED) on the light transmittance (LT), depth of cure (DOC) and degree of conversion in-depth (DC) of a bulk fill composite. A bulk fill composite (EvoCeram^® bulk fill, Ivoclar Vivadent) was photoactivated using the multi-wave LED (VALO™ Cordless, Ultradent). The LED was previously characterized using a spectrophotometer to standardize the time of exposure when using the Standard or Xtra-Power modes with the same radiant exposure of 20J/cm². LT was evaluated through samples of the bulk fill composite every millimeter till 4 mm in-depth. DOC was evaluated according to the ISO 4049. DC of the central longitudinal cross-section from each sample of the DOC test was mapped using FT-NIR microscopy. Data were statistically analyzed according to the experimental design (α=0.05; ß=0.2). The radiant exposure in the violet wavelength range for Standard and Xtra-Power was 4.5 and 5.0 J/cm², respectively; for the blue wavelength range the radiant exposure for Standard and Xtra-Power was 15.5 and 15.0 J/cm², respectively. There was no statistical difference in the DOC using Standard or Xtra-Power light-curing modes, but the DOC was lower than the claimed by the manufacturer (4 mm). The DC was not significantly affected by the light-curing mode up to 4 mm in depth (p>0.05). According to exposure reciprocity law, the reduction in exposure time using the same radiant exposure did not affect the depth of cure of the bulk fill composite.

Key Words:
CQ; camphorquinone; TPO; mono-alkyl phosphine; degree of conversion