ObjectiveThis study analyzed the degree of conversion (DC%) of four resin-based cements (All Ceram, Enforce, Rely X ARC and Variolink II) activated by two modes (chemical and dual), and evaluated the decrease of DC% in the dual mode promoted by the interposition of a 2.0-mm-thick IPS Empress 2 disc.Material and MethodsIn the chemical activation, the resin-based cements were prepared by mixing equal amounts of base and catalyst pastes. In the dual activation, after mixing, the cements were light-activated at 650 mW/cm2 for 40 s. In a third group, the cements were lightactivated through a 2.0-mm-thick IPS Empress 2 disc. The DC% was evaluated in a FT-IR spectrometer equipped with an attenuated total reflectance crystal (ATR). The data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test.ResultsFor all resin-based cements, the DC% was significantly higher with dual activation, followed by dual activation through IPS Empress 2, and chemical activation (p<0.05). Irrespective of the activation mode, Rely X presented the highest DC% (p<0.05). Chemically activated Variolink and All Ceram showed the worst results (p<0.05). The DC% decreased significantly when activation was performed through a 2.0-mm-thick IPS Empress 2 disc (p<0.05).ConclusionsThe results of the present study suggest that resin-based cements could present low DC% when the materials are dually activated through 2.0 mm of reinforced ceramic materials with translucency equal to or less than that of IPS-Empress 2.

This study investigated the relationship between the solubility, salivary sorption, and degree of conversion of dimethacrylate-based polymeric matrixes. Six polymeric matrixes produced by mixing bis-GMA, TEGDMA and UDMA dimethacrylate monomers were studied. Photoactivation was induced by camphoroquinone/ethyl N,N-dimethyl-4-aminobenzoate. The specimens were light-cured using an irradiance of 850 mW/cm(2) for 20 s. The solubility and sorption (microg/mm(3)) were measured after immersion in artificial saliva (neutral pH) for 7 days. The degree of conversion (%) was obtained by using a FT-IR spectrometer equipped with an attenuated total reflectance crystal (ATR). The degree of conversion varied from 39.15 +/- 6.30 to 65.57+/- 4.80, and was influenced by the viscosity of the monomers present in the polymeric matrixes. The solubility of polymeric matrixes varied between 13.64 +/- 0.39 and 25.08 +/- 0.83, and was strongly influenced by the degree of conversion (Pearson, r = -0.9587, p < 0.01). No correlation was found between salivary sorption and the degree of conversion (p = 0.3918). Salivary sorption was only dependent on the chemical and physical structures of the monomers presented in the polymeric matrixes.

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