Abstract

We investigated the effect of the light exposure conditions for three common curing-lights : the halogen lamp, the xenon lamp and the light emitting diode (LED). We studied the light spectrum, shrinkage of the resin, Knoop hardness of the resin, tensile bond strength to dentin, and the contraction gap between the resin and dentin. We found that rapid curing generated a high rate of contraction gaps. However, there was no significant difference in resin curing or tensile bond strength to dentin between the three types of lights.