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Updated: Apr 5, 2026

Shrinkage of Dental Composite in Simulated Cavity Measured with Digital Image Correlation
Published on: July 21, 2014
Interfacial Adaptation of Composite Restorations Before and After Light Curing: Effects of Adhesive and Filling
Purpose:
To investigate the effects of placement technique and adhesive material on adaptation of composites before and after light curing.
Materials And Methods:
Cylindrical cavities (3 mm diameter, 1.7 mm depth) in extracted human molars were restored in 6 groups (n=5) using 2 adhesives--two-step self-etching Clearfil SE Bond 2 (SE2) and all-in-one Clearfil Tri-S Bond Plus (TSP) (Kuraray Noritake Dental)--and 2 composites--Estelite Sigma Quick (ESQ) and Estelite Flow Quick (FLQ) (Tokuyama Dental)--placed with three different techniques: ESQ bulk placed, FLQ lining followed by ESQ and FLQ bulk placed. Specimens were scanned twice using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) before and after photopolymerization of the composite. Gap formation during polymerization or the difference in floor interface (DFI%) and final unsealed interface (USI%) were measured by image coregistration and subtraction on 6 diametrical planes across each scan.
Results:
Two-way ANOVA suggested that both factors (adhesive and filling technique) and their interaction were significant (p<0.001). SE2 showed significantly lower DFI% than did TSP when the composites were placed in bulk, but no difference was found when flowable lining was applied (p<0.05). Within TSP, all filling techniques were significantly different and the lining group showed the lowest values, followed by ESQ-bulk. Overall, SE2 always showed lower UFI% than did TSP, while there was no difference among different techniques within SE2.
Conclusion:
SS-OCT is a unique method to observe the pre-existing interfacial defects and gaps developed during polymerization, which were found to depend on both placement technique and applied adhesive.

