The long-term color stability of composite restorations is a critical aspect of esthetic restorative procedures. Optimal Polymerization behavior of resin composite as indicated by the degree of conversion also influence on the color stability after artificial aging of composite restorations.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different curing lights and chemical catalysts on the degree of conversion of resin luting cements. A total of 60 disk-shaped specimens of RelyX ARC or Panavia F of diameter 5 mm and thickness 0.5 mm were prepared and the respective chemical catalyst (Scotchbond Multi-Purpose Plus or ED Primer) was added. The specimens were lightcured using different curing units (an argon ion laser, an LED or a quartz-tungsten-halogen light) through shade A2 composite disks of diameter 10 mm and thickness 2 mm. After 24 h of dry storage at 37°C, the degree of conversion of the resin luting cements was measured by Fouriertransformed infrared spectroscopy. For statistical analysis, ANOVA and the Tukey test were used, with p≤0.05. Panavia F when used without catalyst and cured using the LED or the argon ion laser showed degree of conversion values significantly lower than RelyX ARC, with and without catalyst, and cured with any of the light sources. Therefore, the degree of conversion of Panavia F with ED Primer cured with the quartz-tungsten-halogen light was significantly different from that of RelyX ARC regardless of the use of the chemical catalyst and light curing source. In conclusion, RelyX ARC can be cured satisfactorily with the argon ion laser, LED or quartz-tungsten-halogen light with or without a chemical catalyst. To obtain a satisfactory degree of conversion, Panavia F luting cement should be used with ED Primer and cured with halogen light.

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the nanoleakage patterns between dental enamel and reinforced leucite ceramic, bonded with resin luting systems and a flowable composite resin. Materials and Methods: Twelve crowns of bovine incisors were randomly divided into four groups (n 5 3) according to the luting procedure: Excite/Variolink II, Clearfil SE Bond/ Panavia F, Scotchbond Multi-Purpose Plus/RelyX ARC, and Single Bond 2/Filtek Z350 Flow. To evaluate the nanoleakage patterns, IPS Empress Esthetic disks (5 mm Ø and 1.2-mm thick) were bonded to enamel, and, after 24 h, the specimens were immersed in a 50% (w/v) solution of silver nitrate (24 h), fixed, dehydrated, and processed scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results: None nanoleakage on interface of the groups that Single Bond 2 followed by the flowable composite were used. The highest percentage of nanoleakage was shown by the Excite/Variolink II protocol. Also, in all conditions tested, none silver nitrate uptake was observed between the leucite-reinforced ceramic and the resin luting cement. Conclusions: The use of a two-step etch-and-rinse adhesive with flowable composite was able to promote an adequate seal of the bond interface at the enamel. Moreover, the conventional dual-cured resin cements associated with simplified and dual-cured adhesives tested are also indicated to bond thin ceramics to enamel, since all presented low silver nitrate uptake. Microsc. Res. Tech. 00:000-000, 2011. V

Selective enamel etching was shown to be an effective approach to reduce gap formation in Class I composite restorations for one-step self-etch adhesives. SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of previous enamel etch and light emitting diode (LED) curing on gap formation of self-etch adhesive systems in Class I composite restorations after thermomechanical aging (TMA). Thus, on 192 human molars, a box-shaped Class I cavity was prepared maintaining enamel margins. Self-etch adhesives (Clearfil SE and Clearfil S3) were used to restore the preparation with a microhybrid composite. Before application of the adhesives, half of the teeth were enamel etched for 15 seconds with 37% phosphoric acid; the other half were not etched. For the photoactivation of the adhesives and composite, three lightcuring units (LCUs) were used: one polywave (Ultra-Lume LED 5, UL) and two single-peak (FlashLite 1401, FL and Radii-cal, RD) LEDs. After this, epoxy resin replicas of the occlusal surface were made, and the specimens were submitted to TMA. New replicas were made from the aged specimens for marginal adaptation analysis by scanning electron microscopy. Data were submitted to Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon tests (a=0.05). Before TMA, when enamel was etched before the application of S3, no gap formation was observed; however, there were gaps at the interface for the other tested conditions, with a statistical difference (p 0.05). After TMA, the selective enamel etching previous to the S3 application, regardless of the LCU, promoted higher marginal adapta-

Objective: To clinically assess the effect of desensitizing gels and dentifrices on the reduction in pain sensitivity and color variation during tooth bleaching. Methodology: A total of 108 volunteers were randomly separated into the following groups of n=12: GT/S-glycerine and thickener/sucralose; NF/S-potassium nitrate and sodium fluoride/sucralose; NA/S-potassium nitrate and arginine/sucralose; GT/AC-glycerine and thickener/arginine and calcium carbonate; NF/AC-potassium nitrate and sodium fluoride/arginine and calcium carbonate; NA/AC-potassium nitrate and arginine/arginine and calcium carbonate; GT/PN-glycerine and thickener/potassium nitrate; NF/ PN-potassium nitrate and sodium fluoride/potassium nitrate; and NA/PNpotassium nitrate and arginine/potassium nitrate. Sensitivity was assessed with the numerical analogue scale, and color variation (ΔE) was measured with a spectrophotometer. The sensitivity values obtained were subjected to a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and color variation values were subjected to a randomized analysis of variance (p<0.05). Results: The NF/AC, NA/AC, NF/PN, and NA/PN groups presented lower sensitivity values and reduced sensitivity compared to those of the other groups throughout the clinical sessions. None of the groups showed sensitivity at the 24-week assessment. Statistically, no significant difference were observed in the color values among the groups four weeks after the beginning of bleaching (p=0.074). Additionally, the color assessment of all groups was statistically similar four weeks (p=0.084) and 24 weeks (p=0.118) after the beginning. Conclusion: Our results indicate that adding NF/S, NA/S, NF/AC, and NA/AC desensitizers to tooth bleaching protocols reduces pain sensitivity without affecting its effectiveness.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate how acid-etching of the cavosurface enamel in Class I resin composite restorations influences the bond strength to the pulpal wall and the restoration, Knoop microhardness and nanoleakage after thermomechanical aging. For this research 76 fresh human molars were selected and restored with Silorane or Clearfil SEBond/Z350XT composite divided in 4 groups (Silorane system restored with or without enamel cavosurface acid-etching and Clearfil SEBond/Z350XT with or without enamel cavosurface acid-etching). To induce artificial aging, samples were subjected to thermomechanical cycling through 200,000 and thermal cycling between 5 and 55 °C with 30 second filling and 15-second drainage steps. Microhardness and microtensile bond strength were evaluated in 32 teeth (n=8) each and nanoleakage evaluation was performed in 12 teeth (n=3). Samples restored by Clearfil SEBond/Z350 XT without cavosurface acid-etching showed significantly lower microtensile bond strength results. The resin composite Z350XT presented higher values of Knoop microhardness. It was observed little or no infiltration for Silorane groups and moderate infiltration for Clearfil SE Bond groups. Acid-etching of the cavosurface enamel during restoration procedure with Clearfil Se Bond resulted in a stronger bond after thermomechanical cycling. Silorane groups showed less infiltration than Clearfil SE Bond groups.

For ceramic cementation, dual-cured resin luting systems promoted more reliable bonding and microhardness values than the flowable resin.