Abstract
Plasma and halogen lamp units were used to photo-cure a composite resin for porcelain bonding. Mean shear bond strengths to dentin after light curing through porcelain of 1 and 2mm thickness ranged from 20 to 27MPa before and after thermocycling, indicating no significant effects due to porcelain thickness, curing method, or thermocycling, except for plasma curing for 3s through porcelain of 2mm thickness that overcame thermocycling. The mean bond strength in this group was significantly lower than both that before thermocycling and that of the porcelain of 1mm thickness. Knoop hardness values for plasma curing for 3s through porcelain of 2mm thickness were significantly lower than the others. These results suggest that plasma light for 3s is not sufficient to cure composite resin cement through porcelain of 2mm thickness.
