Characteristics of Light-curing Resin-based Materials Cured by Violet Laser Diode

Abstract

The violet laser diode was developed in 1996, and is now widely used as a light source for high-speed multilayer recording systems such as Blu-ray discs and HD-DVD systems. These lasers also show promise for medical applications, such as cutting soft tissue, laser acupuncture, tooth whitening, and detection of dental caries. The wavelength of the violet laser diode (approx. 405nm) may be suitable for hardening light-cured dental materials combined with some alternative photo-initiators. This article examines the light-curing efficiency of some commercial and three experimental dental resins by GaN-based violet laser diode determined in terms of ultimate micro-tensile strength, in comparison with curing by various commercial LED light-curing units. The spectral characteristics of the transmittance of contemporary dental adhesives and the emission of several commercially available light-curing units are also presented. The results revealed that violet laser diodes can be used as a light-curing source to initiate the polymerization of light-cured dental resins.