Hardness investigation of conventional, bulk fill and flowable dental composites

Abstract

Purpose: of the present paper is to investigate the micro-hardness of three types of resin-based composites – conventional, bulk fill and flowable. Design/methodology/approach: Cylindrical specimens with a diameter of 5 mm and thicknesses of 2, 3 and 4 mm were made from each composite. They were light cured for 20, 40 and 60 s with light intensity of 600, 1000 or 1500 mW/cm2. The Vickers micro-hardness was measured on the top and bottom surface of the specimens. Findings: The highest micro-hardness was measured in bulk fill composite, followed by conventional and the lowest was measured in the flowable one. Increasing the light intensity leads to increase of the micro-hardness on both surfaces of the three composites. The increase of the irradiation time results in increase of the micro-hardness mainly on the bottom surface of the composites. The change of the layer thickness influences the conventional and the flowable composites and almost does not affect the hardness of the bulk fill composite. Research limitations/implications: The limitations of this study concerns to the values of the light intensity, which are defined by the light curing unit (LCU) used. There are many LCUs on the market; consequently, constant investigations of dental composites micro-hardness are needed. Practical implications: The investigation of the micro-hardness of the three types of composites in different modes would be very helpful for clinicians to obtain successful polymerization of composite restorations in their everyday practice. Originality/value: The micro-hardness of three types resin-based dental composites – conventional, bulk fill and flowable is investigated and compared in varying of three mode parameters – light intensity, curing time and layer thickness.