Purpose: To evaluate the degree of conversion (DoC) of self-adhesive resin luting cements when irradiated through different fiber post lengths.
Methods: A total of 60 teeth were sectioned to achieve lengths of 4 mm, 7 mm, and 10 mm, while 60 fiber posts were trimmed to give 3 mm, 6 mm, and 9 mm lengths. Post space was created to accommodate the fiber post and 1 mm of luting cement apically. Two self-adhesive resin luting cements (Multilink Speed and RelyX U200) were used. A total of four cycles of 20 s irradiation was done with an attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy reading between each cycle.
Results: The mean ± standard deviation DoC achieved with a light-emitting diode and quartz tungsten halogen for Multilink Speed was 67.4 ± 2.7% and 72.4 ± 4.0%, respectively, while for RelyX U200, the corresponding values were 56.5 ± 2.7% and 62.0 ± 3.8%, respectively. For Multilink Speed, there was no significant difference between the control and the 3 mm group, while for RelyX U200, no significant difference was found between the 6 mm and 9 mm groups. All the other groups showed significant differences.
Conclusion: The DoC reduced as the post length increased.
Keywords: FTIR; curing lights; degree of conversion; fiber posts; resin cement.