Influence of laboratory light sources on the wear characteristics of indirect composites.

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the influence of light sources on the mechanical properties and wear characteristics of indirect composite materials. The two composite materials used were Estenia C&B and Epricord. The three laboratory polymerization units used, of which the wavelength range was 400-500 nm, were Hyper LII (two metal halide lamps of 4.82 mW/cm(2)), α-Light II (one halogen lamp and two fluorescent tubes of 3.60 mW/cm(2)), and Labolight LV-II (three fluorescent tubes of 0.63 mW/cm(2)). Three-body wear test was performed using indirect composite plate specimens, a gold alloy antagonist, and a polymer slurry. Wear depths of Estenia C&B polymerized with Hyper LII, α-Light II, and Labolight LV-II were 5.7, 18.5, and 64.2 µm respectively, whereas those of Epricord were 12.9, 18.7, and 48.5 µm respectively. Results showed that, after 100,000 cycles of localized loading, high-intensity light sources were effective in enhancing the wear resistance of both composite materials.