Working time and strength in relation to consistency of composite resins

Composite resin pastes can be made more fluid for injection purposes by adding small amounts of enamel bond resin before mixing. The aim of this work was to study the influence of the added resin on the working time and on the early and final strength of the composite. The pastes of two different brands diluted with their respective resins and the working time of the mix was determined by measuring the time during which it was possible to squeeze the material from a Centrix syringe. The results revealed that adding universal resin reduced the working time of both brands. The catalyst resin increased the working time of Adaptic but with Concise the amount of the catalyst paste had also to be increased to gain more working time. Adding catalyst resin did not affect the early strength or the strength after 24 h. Furthermore, it was observed that adding resin reduced the amount of porosities in the composite.