Heating and preheating of dental restorative materials—a systematic review

Objectives To perform a review on the influence of preheating and/or heating of resinous and ionomeric materials on their physical and mechanical properties and to discuss the benefits and methods of preheating/heating that have been used. Material and methods A search was performed in the Pubmed, Scopus, Scielo, and gray literature databases. In vitro studies published from 1980 until now were searched using the descriptors “composite resins OR glass ionomer cements OR resin cements OR adhesives AND heating OR preheating.” Data extraction and quality of work evaluation were performed by two independent evaluators. Results At the end of reading the search titles and abstracts, 74 articles were selected. Preheating of composite resins reduces viscosity, facilitates adaptation to cavity preparation walls, increases the degree of conversion, and decreases the polymerization shrinkage. Preheating of resin cements improves strength, adhesion, and degree of conversion. Dental adhesives showed good results such as higher bond strength to dentin. However, unlike resinous materials, ionomeric materials have an increase in viscosity upon heating. Conclusions Preheating improves the mechanical and physical properties. However, there is a lack of clinical studies to confirm the advantages of preheating technique. Clinical relevance Preheating of dental restorative materials is a simple, safe, and successful technique. In order to achieve good results, agility and training are necessary so the material would not lose heat until the restorative procedure. Also, care is necessary to avoid bubbles and formation of gaps, which compromises the best restoration performance.