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Color changes in post-cure heat-treated resin composites.
F A Rueggeberg1, D K Harvey, A L Evans
1School of Dentistry, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 39012-1264.
American Journal of Dentistry
|August 1, 1991
Summary
Post-cure heat treatment significantly alters the color of light-cured resin composites, especially those with higher resin content. Clinicians must consider material choice and heat exposure to ensure accurate shade matching for dental inlays.
Area of Science:
- Dental Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Color Science
Background:
- Light-cured resin composites are widely used in restorative dentistry.
- Post-cure heat treatment is sometimes applied to enhance material properties.
- Color stability is crucial for aesthetic dental restorations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate color changes in resin composites after post-cure heat treatment.
- To evaluate the influence of resin composition and filler content on color stability.
- To correlate objective colorimetric measurements with subjective observer perception.
Main Methods:
- Selected Bis-GMA and Bis-GMA/urethane based resin composites with varying filler content.
- Measured RGB values and calculated color differences (delta E*) after heat treatment (100-300°C).
- Assessed observer-perceived color differences compared to unheated controls.
Main Results:
- A delta E* of approximately 3 was sufficient for over 50% of observers to detect a color change.
- Higher resin content, particularly in microfill resins, led to greater color alteration.
- Color change was more dependent on resin content than specific resin composition.
Conclusions:
- Post-cure heat treatment can induce clinically relevant color changes in resin composites.
- Material selection and post-cure temperature are critical factors for shade matching, especially for dental inlays.
- Microfill composites exhibit a higher propensity for color change under heat treatment.