IngentaConnect The Effect of Infection-Control Barriers on the Light Intensity o...

Abstract:

Aim: Dental curing lights are vulnerable to contamination with oral fluids during routine intra-oral use. This controlled study aimed to evaluate whether or not disposable transparent barriers placed over the light-guide tip would affect light output intensity or the subsequent depth of cure of a composite restoration.

Methods: The impact on light intensity emitted from high-, medium- and low-output light-cure units in the presence of two commercially available disposable infection-control barriers was evaluated against a no-barrier control. Power density measurements from the three intensity light-cure units were recorded with a radiometer, then converted to a digital image using an intra-oral camera and values determined using a commercial computer program. For each curing unit, the measurements were repeated on ten separate occasions with each barrier and the control. Depth of cure was evaluated using a scrape test in a natural tooth model.

Results: At each level of light output, the two disposable barriers produced a significant reduction in the mean power density readings compared to the no-barrier control (P<0.005). The cure sleeve inhibited light output to a greater extent than either the cling film or the control (P<0.005). Only composite restorations light-activated by the high level unit demonstrated a small but significant decrease in the depth of cure compared to the control (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Placing disposable barriers over the light-guide tip reduced the light intensity from all three curing lights. There was no impact on depth of cure except for the high-output light, where a small decrease in cure depth was noted but this was not considered clinically significant. Disposable barriers can be recommended for use with light-cure lights.

Keywords: DENTAL CURING LIGHT; DENTAL EQUIPMENT; INFECTION CONTROL; COMPOSITE RESIN; DEPTH OF CURE

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1308/1355761053695149

Affiliations: 1: Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Primary Dental Care. GKT Dental Institute, London, UK.

The full text electronic article is available for purchase. You will be able to download the full text electronic article after payment.

$32.46 plus tax Refund Policy

Or sign up for a free trial

The Effect of Infection-Control Barriers on the Light Intensity of Light-Cure Units and Depth of Cure of Composite