Sorption, solubility and residual monomers of a dental adhesive cured by different light-curing units

The aim of this study was to assess polymerization ability of three light-curing units by evaluating the influence of the light source, curing regimen and permeant (water or ethanol) on sorption, solubility and amount of residual monomers of a dental adhesive. Specimens of Adper Single Bond 2 were fabricated using a stainless steel circular matrix (8 mm x 1 mm). One quartz-tungsten-halogen (QTH) lamp and two light-emitting diode (LED) device at three different curing regimes (L1 = 12 J; L2 = 24 J; L3 = 24 J) were used to cure the specimens. Specimens were stored in two types of permeants - deionized water or 75% ethanol - for two storage times (G1 =7 days; G2 = 30 days). The specimens underwent water sorption and solubility tests, according to ISO 4049:2000 standard. After storage, residual monomers were identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For sorption, L1 showed the highest values and QTH, the lowest. For solubility, in ethanol-stored groups, L1 had also the highest values, and QTH, the lowest, and findings were significantly different from the other curing regimens. L1 leached significantly more monomers than the others, and QTH had the lowest results. In conclusion, the type of light source, the curing regimen and the permeant affected sorption, solubility and amount of residual monomers of the adhesive under study.