Polymer shrinkage during photopolymerization of dimethacrylate monomers, used for many years to produce materials for dental restoration, can induce either the formation of tooth-restoration gaps or the production of residual stress depending on the quality of adhesion between tooth and dental composites. In this work, the effect of the power density, used to photopolymerize three commercial dental composites (Fill Magic, Supra Fill, and Z100), on the kinetics of the reaction was investigated to determine processing conditions in which the generation of residual stress would be reduced by allowing polymer chains and macromers to flow before freezing during gelation of the polymer network. The kinetics of photopolymerization of the dental composites was monitored by real-time infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Polymer shrinkage and mechanical properties were also investigated by using, respectively, density and microhardness measurements. Results showed that the final conversion (after 200 s), volumetric shrinkage, and microhardness values were not affected by different power densities, mainly because the amount of energy used during photopolymerization was set constant by using different irradiation times. Lower power densities were able to reduce the maximum polymerization rate and delay the formation of a rigid network. Conversion before the formation of the rigid network was also enhanced by using a lower power density. Considering that too premature gelation can lead to residual stress during shrinkage, the results of this work indicated that the use of a lower power density can be effective in terms of delaying the onset of the formation of a rigid network, providing then conditions for macromolecules to flow and relieve stress during shrinkage.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between degree of conversion and microhardness in dental composites, as well as the effect of the inorganic content and type of photo-curing unit on these parameters. Three indirect composites (Artglass, Solidex and Zeta LC) were polymerized by means of three different laboratorial units (UniXS, Solidilite and an experimental device). For each material, fifteen samples were prepared using a metal matrix. The degree of conversion was analyzed by means of infrared spectroscopy, and microhardness was also assessed. The inorganic content was measured by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The Pearson s test was carried out in order to determine correlations. The degree of conversion of Artglass ranged from 37.5% to 79.2%, and its microhardness, from 32.4 to 50.3 (r = 0.904). The degree of conversion of Solidex ranged from 41.2% to 60.4%, and its microhardness, from 33.3 to 44.1 (r = 0.707). The degree of conversion and the microhardness of Zeta LC ranged from 62.0% to 78.0% and from 22.6 to 33.6, respectively (r = 0.710). It was concluded that the utilization of different photo-curing units caused variations on the degree of conversion, as a result of specific characteristics of each unit. For each material, there was strong correlation between the degree of conversion and microhardness. In addition, when different materials were compared, microhardness was more affected by filler content than by the degree of conversion.

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Polymerization shrinkage is a critical factor affecting the longevity and acceptability of dental composite resins. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of light intensity and irradiation time on the polymerization process of a photo cured dental composite resin by measuring the Vickers hardness number (VHN) and the volumetric polymerization shrinkage. Samples were prepared using a dental manual light-curing unit. The samples were submitted to irradiation times of 5, 10, 20 and 40 s, using 200 and 400 mW.cm -2 light intensities. Vickers hardness number was obtained at four different moments after photoactivation (immediate, 1 h, 24 h and 168 h). After this, volumetric polymerization shrinkage values were obtained through a specific density method. The values were analyzed by ANOVA and Duncan's (p = 0.05). Results showed increase in hardness values from the immediate reading to 1 h and 24 h readings. After 24 h no changes were observed regardless the light intensities or activation times. The hardness values were always smaller for the 200 mW.cm -2 light intensity, except for the 40 s irradiation time. No significant differences were detected in volumetric polymerization shrinkage considering the light intensity (p = 0.539) and the activation time (p = 0.637) factors. In conclusion the polymerization of the material does not terminate immediately after photoactivation and the increase of irradiation time can compensate a lower light intensity. Different combinations between light intensity and irradiation time, i.e., different amounts of energy given to the system, have not affected the polymerization shrinkage.