Effects of secondary curing on indirect posterior composite resins

This study was designed to compare strength, elastic modulus (stiffness), and hardness for five composite resin materials that are used for laboratory-fabricated posterior composite restorations. Ten specimens of each material were processed according to the manufacturer's instructions. Statistical analysis indicated that there were significant differences in mechanical properties among the materials tested. In addition, materials that are incrementally light cured prior to secondary processing were tested for changes in mechanical properties following secondary processing. It was determined that secondary processing provided improvement in flexural strength (11%) when compared to samples that were only light cured.