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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Experimental Implementation of a New Composite Fabrication Method: Exposing Bare Fibers on the Composite Surface by the Soft Layer Method
Published on: October 6, 2017
Effect of heat on the flow of commercial composites
Juliana da Costa1, Rose McPharlin, Thomas Hilton
1Department of Restorative Dentistry, Division of Operative Dentistry, OHSU School of Dentistry, 611 S.W. Campus Drive, Portland, OR 97369, USA. dacostaj@ohsu.edu
Purpose:
This study compared the flowability of various commercial dental composites to flowable composites in response to warming in a composite warmer.
Methods:
18 conventional resin composites and four flowable composites were tested at room temperature (23 degrees C), and the conventional composites were tested after pre-heating in a Calset unit (Addent) to 54 degrees C or 68 degrees C. Flowability was determined by placing uncured composite onto plastic sheets and loading for 180 seconds (4 kg load) while maintained at 36 degrees C (conditioning temperature [n=3]) to simulate placing room temperature composite into a tooth. The composite was light-cured for 40 seconds. The thickness of the specimens were measured. Thickness/volume (T/V) were compared for the composites for the three temperatures, and between flowable and conventional composites at 23 degrees C (one-way ANOVA/Tukey's; P < 0.05).
Results:
At 23 degrees C, the flowable composites T/V were significantly less than the conventional composites (P < 0.001), ranging from 0.46 mm/cm3 (Perma Flo HV) to 1.43 mm/cm3 (Point 4 Flow), except for Z100 (1.48 mm/cm3/ +/-0.32), Z250 (1.79 mm/cm3/ +/-0.09), Gradia (1.53 mm/cm3/ +/-0.07), and Grandio (1.98 mm/cm3/ +/-0.07). The T/V of the conventional composites were not significantly different at all three temperatures (P> 0.05), except for Esthet-X which showed the greatest T/V decrease at 68 degrees C (3.84 mm/cm3/ +/-0.3) compared to 23 degrees C (6.44 mm/cm3/ +/-0.36) and 4 Seasons which showed the greatest T/V decrease at 54 degrees C (3 mm/cm3/ +/-0.1) compared to 23 degrees C (3.57 mm/cm3/ +/-0.1.4).
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