Depth of Cure of a Simplified Bulk-Fill Universal Composite and a Conventional Resin-Based Composite

This study evaluated the influence of shade, irradiance, and exposure time on the depth of cure (DoC) of a simplified bulk-fill universal composite (Tetric plus Fill) and a conventional composite (Filtek Supreme Ultra).

The 80% bottom-to-top hardness ratio was used as an empirical cutoff, and 99% confidence intervals were calculated using R version 4.5.1.

The DoC values were material and protocol dependent. Tetric plus Fill reached the 80% threshold to depths ranging from 3.5 to 4.5 mm, depending on shade and exposure protocol. All the Tetric plus Fill and the Filtek Supreme Ultra products reached their manufacturer's claimed DoC depth with both 3 s extra-high and 10 s high exposures from the Bluephase PowerCure.

This study highlights the importance of following the manufacturers' recommendations for increment thickness and exposure time and of recognizing that shade and material formulation influence DoC.