Three composite finishing systems: a multisite in vitro evaluation

Selection of appropriate finishing and polishing devices is critical to the optimal appearance and longevity of composite resin restoratives. This report compares the effectiveness of three specific finishing and polishing systems when used to prepare the surfaces of composite restorative materials provided by the respective manufacturers. Profilometer surface roughness analyses were conducted at two separate laboratories to cross-correlate numerical smoothness data in this study. Statistically significant differences in mean surface roughness were found between various finishing system/composite resin pairings. Surprisingly, a hybrid composite resin finished and polished with its respective finishing/polishing system gave a significantly smoother surface than a microfill composite surface prepared with its corresponding sequentially coated abrasive disc system. This finding was corroborated at a second site using a separate methodology for profilometer analysis.