Purpose: To evaluate the influence of the light intensity, irradiation time, and thickness of the indirect restoration composite on the bond strength of dual-cured resin cement immediately after cementation, applying the resin coating technique.
Materials and methods: Three hundred forty composite blocks as an adhesive surface and four thicknesses of indirect restoration composite disks were prepared. The surface of the composite blocks was coated with low-viscosity resin composite and immersed in water for 24 h. After immersion, dual-cured resin cement was applied to the resin-coated surface and the indirect restoration composite disks were placed on it. Light irradiation was performed through four thicknesses of indirect restoration composite disks with conventional halogen (40 s) and high intensity (10, 20, 40 s) light units. The specimens were stored in water at 37 degrees C for 10 min or 24 h, and the tensile bond test was performed.
Results: For the 1-mm composite thickness, there were no significant differences in the bond strengths between 10 min and 24 h after cementation with the four light curing methods. For the composite thicknesses of 3 or 4 mm, the bond strength 24 h after cementation was significantly higher than that at 10 min after cementation with conventional halogen (40 s) and high-intensity light units at 10 s and 20 s, but there was no significant difference with the high-intensity light unit applied for 40 s.
Conclusion: The bond strength of dual-cured resin cement immediately after cementation could be greatly influenced by the irradiation time and the light intensity penetrating the indirect restoration composite.