Measurement of exothermic heat released during polymerization of a lightcuring composite resin: Comparison of light irradiation modes

High-power light-curing units have emerged that reduce the time of procedures in dental clinical work. However, patients sometimes complain of pain during the polymerization of composite resin. In this experiment, we investigated how differences in light-curing mode affect the temperature rise during composite resin polymerization in vitro. Light-curing mode conditions were divided into four groups: 3 s in plasma mode (Plm3) and 5, 10, and 20 s in standard mode. The temperature curve under Plm3 exhibited a rapid increase during the first 3 s of light curing before reaching a maximum of around 55°C. In contrast, the temperature rose rapidly but less sharply for irradiation in each standard mode compared with Plm3. These results suggest that irradiation using a high-power mode increases the temperature at an excessively high rate, and this may raise concern about side effects on the pulp.