A reappraisal of the incremental packing technique for light cured composite resins

The cuspal flexure caused by a direct placement composite resin was measured using a technique that did not interfere with cuspal movement. Twenty upper premolar teeth with mesial-occlusal-distal (MOD) cavity preparations were restored using a posterior composite resin. Ten teeth were restored using a bulk packing technique and 10 were restored using three 'U' shaped bucco-lingual increments. Total cuspal movement was measured 1 h following the initiation of curing. Bulk placement of the composite resin produced slightly more cuspal movement (12.5 microm) compared with the incremental placement of composite (11.3 microm). This difference was not statistically significant. The technique of incremental packing to reduce cuspal flexure is therefore questioned.