QUARTZ‐TUNGSTEN‐HALOGEN AND LIGHT‐EMITTING DIODE CURING LIGHTS

Abstract

Curing lights are an integral part of the daily practice of restorative dentistry. Quartz‐tungsten‐halogen (QTH), plasma‐arc (PAC), argon laser, and light‐emitting diode (LED) curing lights are currently commercially available. The QTH curing light has a long, established history as a workhorse for composite resin polymerization in dental practices and remains the most common type of light in use today. Its relatively broad emission spectrum allows the QTH curing light to predictably initiate polymerization of all known photo‐activated resin‐based dental materials. However, the principal output from these lamps is infrared energy, with the generation of high heat. Filters are used to reduce the emitted heat energy and provide further restriction of visible light to correlate better with the narrower absorbance spectrum of photo‐initiators. The relatively inefficient emission typically requires corded handpieces with noisy fans. PAC lights generate a high voltage pulse that creates hot plasma between two electrodes in a xenon‐filled bulb. The irradiance of PAC lights is much higher than the typical QTH curing light, but PAC lights are more expensive and generate very high heat with an inefficient emission spectrum similar to that of QTH bulbs. Light emitted from an argon laser is very different from that emitted from the halogen or PAC lights. The photons produced are coherent and do not diverge; therefore, lasers concentrate more photons of specific frequency into a tiny area. With very little infrared output, unwanted heat is minimized. However, argon lasers are very expensive and inefficient due to a small curing tip. LED curing lights have been introduced to the market with the promise of more efficient polymerization, consistent output over time without degradation, and less heat emission in a quiet, compact, portable device. This review evaluates some of the published research on LED and QTH curing lights.