Effect of curing mode on the polymerization characteristics of dual-cured resin cement systems

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of different curing conditions on the degree of conversion (DC) of dual-cured cementing systems [combination of bonding agent (BA) and resin cement (RC)] using infrared spectroscopy. Methods: Four fourth generation products [Scotchbond Multipurpose Plus/RelyX (3M ESPE), Optibond/Nexus 2 (Kerr), All Bond2/Duolink (Bisco), and Bond-It!/Lute-It! (Pentron)], and three fifth generation materials [Bond1/Lute-It! (Pentron), Prime&Bond NT Dual-Cure/Calibra (Dentsply), and Optibond Solo Dual Cure/Nexus 2 (Kerr)] were applied to the surface of a horizontal attenuated-total-reflectance unit, and were polymerized using one of four conditions: self-cure (SC), direct light exposure through glass slide (DLE, XL3000/3M ESPE) or through pre-cured resin discs (shades A2;A4/2 mm thick/Z250/3M ESPE). Infrared spectra of the uncured cementing systems were recorded immediately after application to the ATR, after the system was light-cured or left to self-cure, and spectra were obtained 5 and 10 min later. DC was calculated using standard techniques of observing changes in aliphatic-to-aromatic peak ratios pre- and post-curing. Data (n = 5) were analyzed by two-way repeated measures ANOVA and Tukey's test (p = 0.05). Results: Changes in aliphatic-to-aromatic peak ratios before and after placing RC onto the BA demonstrated that a combined layer was created. All groups exhibited higher DC after 10 min than after 5 min, except the DLE group of Bond-it!/Lute-it!. No significant differences in DC were observed among light-activated groups regardless of the resin disc shade in three of the four fourth generation cementing systems. The SC groups exhibited lower DC than the DLE groups for both fourth and fifth generation products either after 5 or 10 min. Conclusion: The chemistry of the bonding interface changed when RCs were applied to uncured BAs. The presence of an indirect restoration can decrease the DC of some cementing systems and the self-curing mode leads to lower DC than the light-activating one.