Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three commercially available light emitting diode (LED) light curing units (LCU) (Elipar FreeLight--3M ESPE; UltraLume LED2--Ultradent; and Single V--BioArt) for polymerizing Z250-A3 composite (3M ESPE) using Knoop hardness, polymerization depth, and flexural strength properties.
Methods and materials: The XL 2500 (3M ESPE) LCU, which is a conventional halogen unit, was used as a control. In all cases the curing time was 20 seconds. Hardness was determined 24 hours after composite cure for 10 samples of 8 mm diameter and 2 mm height for each LCU tested. Samples were stored dry in a light-proof container prior to testing. The depth of cure of the composite was measured immediately after composite polymerization for each LCU using three samples 4 mm in diameter and 6 mm in height. Flexural strength was determined for five samples 24 hours after immersion in distilled water at 37 degrees C. Each sample measured 25 mm in length, 2 mm in width, and 2 mm in height for each LCU tested.
Conclusion: The results were treated statistically for comparison of the LCUs. In all cases the results obtained by LED LCUs were not different or were higher than a conventional halogen LCU.
Clinical significance: Second generation LED LCUs were as effective as/or more effective than a halogen LCU for polymerization of the used composite. The present study shows second generation LEDs have the potential to replace halogen LCUs.