Effect of curing distance for cure depth in composite resin.

The effect of altering the distance between light tip and outer layer of composite (DLR) on the depth of composite cure with a range of low to high light intensity curing lamps and with different types of light unit is of interest. Three LED units (T= Freelight,U = Ultrablue IS, V = Coltolux LED, one PAC unit (S=PAC) and three halogen light-curing units (P = XL2500, Q = HelioluxVL, R = Visiolux) were analyzed. A human molar tooth that was separated mesio-distally to buccal and lingual halves was used to create a natural tooth sample. Data shows that the depth of cure for the composite material decreased as the distance between the repair and the light source increased. There was no appreciable difference in performance between the LEDs and the other kinds of curing lamps as the distance between them grew.