Influence of light energy and power density on the microhardness of two nanohybrid composites

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of light parameters on nanohybrid composite curing. Two nanohybrid resins were cured by two light-emitting diode (LED) devices and by one quartz-tungsten-halogen (QTH) device using different combinations of energy density and power density (8 J cm(-2) and 400 mW cm(-2); 8 J cm(-2) and 1,000 mW cm(-2); 16 J cm(-2) and 400 mW cm(-2); and 16 J cm(-2)-1,000 mW cm(-2)). The effects of these combinations on polymerization were assessed by measuring the Vickers microhardness. Data differed for the two composites and varied according to the light parameters and the nature of the curing device. For both resins, an energy density of 16 J cm(-2) yielded the best microhardness values at both the top and the bottom of the sample, independently of the power density. When using a lower energy density of 8 J cm(-2), a modulated power density was required to achieve proper curing at the bottom of the sample: 8 J cm(-2) and 400 mW cm(-2) induced greater values at the bottom surface. At an energy density of 16 J cm(-2), the power density was not relevant (no significant differences were found between 400 and 1,000 mW cm(-2)), except when the emission spectra of the light-curing units (LCUs) did not match exactly with the absorption spectra of the photoinitators included in the resins (greatest values with 16 J cm(-2) and 1,000 mW cm(-2)). These results suggest that above a certain energy density threshold, the power density may not significantly influence the polymerization kinetics.