Basic Study on Visible Light Activated Dental Composite Resins

Light-activated dental composite resins undergo polymerization and curing by free-radical initiation like auto-cured resins. We studied the polymerization and curing properties of some commercially available light activated composites by using argon-ion laser. Results are summarized as: (1) The volume of a cured resion is dependent on the wavelength, and the maximum volume is obtained at 466 and 477 nm; (2) The volume of the cured resin increases with increasing irradiation power and time; (3) The rate of polymerization shrinkage gradually increases, before the saturation and (4) A correlation was observed between light transmittance and polymerization shrinkage for the composites of hybrid and traditional types which are relatively highly filled, but not for MFR type resins containing less micro-filler.