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Related Experiment Videos

Do dental composites always shrink toward the light?

A Versluis1, D Tantbirojn, W H Douglas

  • 1Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.

Journal of Dental Research
|July 2, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Composite restorative techniques often assume shrinkage toward the light improves marginal properties. This study used finite element analysis to show shrinkage is primarily influenced by bonding and cavity shape, not light direction.

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Area of Science:

  • Dental Materials Science
  • Biomaterials Engineering
  • Computational Mechanics

Background:

  • Current light-curing composite restorative techniques often rely on the theory that shrinkage towards the light source enhances marginal properties.
  • However, the dental literature presents conflicting evidence regarding this shrinkage behavior and its effect on marginal integrity.
  • Experimental determination of composite contraction patterns during curing is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the direction of composite shrinkage during polymerization using a finite element technique.
  • To investigate whether shrinkage is directed towards the light source or influenced by other factors.
  • To compare shrinkage patterns in both auto- and photo-curing composites.

Main Methods:

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  • Utilized a finite element technique to simulate composite polymerization and shrinkage.
  • Characterized polymerization into pre- and post-gel phases, accounting for stress relief and residual stresses.
  • Incorporated experimentally determined light transmittance, degree of cure, and time-dependent shrinkage properties into the simulation.
  • Analyzed both auto- and photo-curing composites, considering variations in gel-point based on light intensity.

    • Main Results:

    • Composite shrinkage direction was found to be predominantly determined by the bonding of the restoration to the tooth and the presence of free surfaces.
    • The orientation of the curing light had a minimal impact on the direction of shrinkage.
    • Differences in contraction patterns between auto- and photo-curing composites were negligible.

    Conclusions:

    • Composite materials do not primarily shrink toward the light source; shrinkage direction is mainly dictated by cavity geometry and the quality of the bond to the tooth.
    • Optimization of marginal properties should focus on factors beyond light direction, including polymerization processes, curing procedures, and bond quality.
    • Using shrinkage vector direction relative to light position is not a suitable criterion for optimizing marginal quality in dental restorations.