Influence of power density and primer application on polymerization of dual-cured resin cements monitored by ultrasonic measurement.

We used ultrasonic measurements to monitor the influence of power density and primer application on the polymerization reaction of dual-cured resin cements. The ultrasonic equipment comprised a pulser-receiver, transducers, and an oscilloscope. Resin cements were mixed and inserted into a transparent mould, and specimens were placed on the sample stage, onto which the primer, if used, was also applied. Power densities of 0 (no irradiation), 200, or 600 mW cm(-2) were used for curing. The transit time through the cement disk was divided by the specimen thickness to obtain the longitudinal sound velocity. When resin cements were light-irradiated, each curve displayed an initial plateau of approximately 1,500 m s(-1), which rapidly increased to a second plateau of 2,300-2,900 m s(-1). The rate of sound velocity increase was retarded when the cements were light-irradiated at lower power densities, and increased when the primer was applied. The polymerization behaviour of dual-cured resin cements was therefore shown to be affected by the power density of the curing unit and the application of self-etching primer.

Influence of power density on polymerization behavior and bond strengths of dual-cured resin direct core foundation systems.

This study examined the influence of power density on dentin bond strength and polymerization behavior of dual-cured direct core foundation resin systems. Two commercially available dual-cured direct core foundation resin systems, Clearfil DC Core Automix with Clearfil DC Bond and UniFil Core with Self-Etching Bond, were studied. Bovine mandibular incisors were mounted in autopolymerizing resin and the facial dentin surfaces were ground wet on 600-grit SiC paper. Dentin surfaces were treated according to manufacturer's recommendations. The resin pastes were condensed into the mold and cured with the power densities of 0 (no irradiation), 100, 200, 400 and 600 mW/cm2. Ten specimens per group were stored in 37 degrees C water for 24 hours, then shear tested at a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/minute in a universal testing machine. An ultrasonic measurement device was used to measure the ultrasonic velocities through the core foundation resins. The power densities selected were 0 (no irradiation), 200, and 600 mW/cm2, and ultrasonic velocity was calculated. ANOVA and Tukey HSD tests were performed at a level of 0.05. The highest bond strengths were obtained when the resin pastes were cured with the highest power density for both core foundation systems (16.8 +/- 1.9 MPa for Clearfil DC Core Automix, 15.6 +/- 2.9 MPa for UniFil Core). When polymerized with the power densities under 200 mW/cm2, significantly lower bond strengths were observed compared to those obtained with the power density of 600 mW/cm2. As the core foundation resins hardened, the sonic velocities increased and this tendency differed among the power density of the curing unit. When the sonic velocities at three minutes after the start of measurements were compared, there were no significant differences among different irradiation modes for UniFil Core, while a significant decrease in sonic velocity was obtained when the resin paste was chemically polymerized compared with dual-polymerization for Clearfil DC Core Automix. The data suggests that the dentin bond strengths and polymerization behavior of the dual-cured, direct core foundation systems are still affected by the power density of the curing unit. With a careful choice of the core foundation systems and power density of the curing unit, the benefit of using resin composites to endodontically-treated teeth might be acceptable.

Influence of power density on the setting behaviour of light-cured glass-ionomer cements monitored by ultrasound measurements.

OBJECTIVES: To monitor the influence of the power density of the curing unit on the setting behaviour of light-cured glass-ionomer cements (LCGICs) using ultrasound measurements. METHODS: The ultrasound equipment comprised a pulser-receiver, transducers and an oscilloscope. The LCGICs used were Fuji II LC, Fuji II LC EM and Fuji Filling LC. The cements were mixed according to the manufacturer's instructions and then inserted into a transparent mould. The specimens were placed on the sample stage and cured with power densities of 0 (no irradiation), 200 or 600 mW/cm(2). The transit time through the cement disk was divided by the specimen thickness and then the longitudinal ultrasound velocity (V) within the material was obtained. Analysis of variance and Tukey's Honestly Significantly Different test were used to compare the V values between the set cements. RESULTS: When the LCGICs were light-irradiated, each curve displayed an initial plateau at approximately 1500 m/s and then rapidly increased to a second plateau at approximately 2600 m/s. The rate of increase of V was retarded when the cements were light-irradiated with a power density of 200 mW/cm(2) than with a power density of 600 mW/cm(2). Although sonic echoes were detected from the beginning of the measurements, the rates of increase of the sonic velocity were relatively slow when the cement was not light-irradiated. CONCLUSIONS: The ultrasound device monitored the setting processes of LCGICs accurately based on the longitudinal V. The polymerization behaviour of LCGICs was shown to be affected by the power density of the curing unit.

Changes in elastic modulus of adhesive and adhesive-infiltrated dentin during storage in water.

The purpose of this study was to determine the elastic modulus of components at the resin-dentin interface with the use of an ultrasound device. Dentin slabs were obtained from freshly extracted bovine incisors shaped into a rectangular form. After demineralization, the dentin specimens were immersed in adhesives and polymerized. Adhesives were also polymerized and trimmed into the same shape as the dentin slabs. The specimens were then immersed in distilled water at 37 degrees C for up to one year. The ultrasound equipment employed in this study was a Pulser-Receiver, transducers and an oscilloscope. By measuring the longitudinal and shear wave sound velocities, the elastic modulus was determined. When the elastic modulus of adhesive resin-infiltrated demineralized dentin was compared with that of adhesives, slightly but significantly lower values were found for adhesives used in a self-etching primer system. On the other hand, a higher elastic modulus was observed for resin-infiltrated dentin than for an adhesive used in an etch and rinse system. The elastic modulus of the resin-infiltrated dentin prepared with the etch and rinse system was affected by long-term storage in distilled water.

Setting behaviour of luting cements monitored by an ultrasonic method.

The purpose of this study was to monitor the setting behaviour and elastic modulus of luting cements using an ultrasonic device. The ultrasonic equipment comprised a pulser-receiver, transducers and an oscilloscope. The transit time through the cement disk was multiplied by the thickness of the specimen, and the sonic velocity within the material was then calculated. The sonic velocities of the longitudinal and shear waves were used to determine the elastic modulus. Analysis of variance and the Tukey HSD test were used to compare the elastic moduli of the set cements. In the earliest stages of the setting process, most of the ultrasound energy was absorbed by the cements and the sound waves were relatively weak. As the cements hardened, the sound velocities increased and this tendency differed among the luting cements used. The mean elastic moduli of the specimens ranged from 2.9 to 9.9 GPa after 15 min, from 14.4 to 20.3 GPa after 24 h and from 12.1 to 15.9 GPa after 1 month. The setting processes of the luting cements were thus clearly defined by using the present ultrasonic method.

Determination of elastic modulus of demineralized resin-infiltrated dentin by self-etch adhesives.

The purpose of this study was to determine ultrasonically the changes in elastic modulus of demineralized adhesive-infiltrated dentin. Dentin disks were obtained from bovine incisors and shaped into a rectangular form. The specimens were immersed in single-step self-etch adhesives, then stored in distilled water and run through thermal cycles between 5 and 60 degrees C. The longitudinal and shear wave sound velocities and the elastic modulus were determined using ultrasonic equipment composed of a pulser-receiver, transducers, and an oscilloscope. After 24 h of storage, the elastic modulus of mineralized dentin was 16.9 GPa and that of demineralized dentin was 2.1 GPa. The immersion of demineralized dentin in adhesives significantly increased the elastic modulus to 3.3-5.9 GPa. After 30,000 thermal cycles, the elastic modulus of dentin was 32.4 GPa, whereas that of demineralized adhesive infiltrated dentin was 3.1-4.1 GPa. Thermal stresses did not cause adhesive-infiltrated demineralized dentin to deteriorate, as measured by elastic modulus.

Influence of moisture conditions on dentin bond strength of single-step self-etch adhesive systems.

This study was conducted to clarify the influence of dentin surface moisture on bond strength of single-step self-etch adhesive systems. The adhesive systems used were Adper Prompt L-Pop (AP), Clearfil tri-S Bond (CT), Fluoro Bond Shake One (FB), G-Bond (GB), and One-Up Bond F Plus (OF). Bovine mandibular incisors were wet-ground with #600 SiC to expose the labial dentin. After rinsing with tap water, the dentin surface was dried with air for 10 sec (Dry condition) or blotted (Wet condition). Adhesives were applied according to each manufacturer's instructions, followed by resin composite polymerization. Ten samples per test group were stored in distilled water at 37 degrees C for 24 h, then shear tested at a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/min. The data were analyzed by Student's t test and Tukey HSD test at a probability level of 0.05. The mean bond strengths for Dry condition ranged from 13.9 MPa to 18.2 MPa, and those for Wet condition ranged from 7.1 MPa to 18.4 MPa. Significantly lower bond strengths were obtained for the Wet condition for GB, FB, and OF. Failure after the test was commonly due to adhesive breakdown associated with partial cohesive failure in the dentin. These data suggest that air-drying of the dentin surface is appropriate for the adhesive systems tested.