Effect on the reaction kinetics and degree of conversion when dental resins are light cured for short (3 s) exposure times

When you go to the dentist and receive a white filling, this resin filling is hardened in the tooth using blue light from a dental curing light. Health Canada classifies curing lights as Class I Medical Devices, but they do not test if the manufacturer’s claims are correct. There are many different brands of lights and dental resin fillings on the market. The instructions for most dental resins recommend that the resin filling should be light cured for 10 or 20 seconds, but some brands of lights claim that they can successfully cure (harden) the resin filling in only 1 to 3 seconds. Dentists are confused about who to believe, which light they should buy, and how long they should it for. This is important because more undesirable chemicals are released from undercured resin fillings and these chemicals have been shown to have a detrimental effect on the reproductive functions in animals. This project will tell manufacturers and dentists if it is acceptable to light-cure dental fillings in the mouth in 1 to 3 seconds. The project will also determine if some filling materials can be acceptably hardened (light-cured) with the curing light faster than others.

Faculty Supervisor:

Richard Price

Student:

Partner:

Ivoclar

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Dalhousie University

Program: