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Influence of post-curing duration on degree of conversion, microhardness, and surface roughness of three commercially
Dalndushe Abdulai1, Rafat Sasany2, Mutlu Özcan3
1Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Biruni University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Objective:
This in vitro study evaluated the influence of post-curing duration on the surface roughness (Ra), Vickers hardness (VHN), and degree of conversion (DC) of three commercially available permanent 3D-printed crown resins.
Materials And Methods:
Three commercially available AM crown resins Saremco Print CROWNTEC (S), VarseoSmile TriniQ (B), and Permanent Crown Resin (F) were evaluated. A total of 180 disc-shaped specimens were fabricated and allocated into three material groups (n = 60), each subdivided into three post-curing durations (5, 30, and 60 min; n = 20). Ninety specimens were used for VHN and DC measurements, while an additional 90 specimens were used for Ra analysis. Surface roughness, microhardness, and degree of conversion were assessed using a profilometer, microhardness tester, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test (α = 0.05).
Results:
Surface roughness was not significantly affected by material type or post-curing duration (p > 0.05). In contrast, VHN and DC were significantly influenced by material type, post-curing duration, and their interaction (p < 0.001). Increasing post-curing time resulted in significant improvements in VHN and DC across all materials, with the greatest increase observed in the S group. The S groups exhibited the greatest increase in both VHN and DC with prolonged post-curing, whereas the B groups demonstrated a more limited response.
Conclusions:
Post-curing duration significantly increased the degree of conversion and Vickers microhardness of permanent 3D-printed crown resins in a material-dependent manner. Surface roughness remained comparable after standardized polishing. These findings suggest that post-curing protocols should be optimized according to the specific resin system rather than uniformly applied.
Clinical Relevance:
Optimizing post-curing duration may improve the degree of conversion and surface hardness of permanent 3D-printed crown resins; however, further studies are required to confirm long-term clinical performance.
