Infection Control Barrier and Curing Time as Factors Affecting the Irradiance of Light-Cure Units

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to investigate the effect of infection control barrier (ICB) and curing time on irradiance of light cure units (LCUs). METHODS: Irradiance (mW/cm(2)) of the LCUs at a government dental school were recorded with and without ICB at 0 (T(0)), 10 (T(10)), and 20 (T(20)) seconds using a digital radiometer. Data were analyzed using IBM(®) SPSS(®) Statistics Version 17 for Windows software for the analysis of variance and Bonferroni methods at 0.05 significance level. RESULTS: Using ICB resulted in a statistically significant effect on the irradiance mean (P < 0.01). A significant difference existed between the four different brands of LCUs at different time intervals, irrespective of the use of ICB. At T(0) and T(10), the mean output of Acteon mini-light-emitting diode (LED) was significantly higher than that of either the Kerr Demi Ultra or the Kavo Polylux II. At T(20), E-Morlit's mean irradiance was significantly higher than that of Kerr Demi Ultra, which in turn was significantly higher than that of the Kavo PolyLux II. The mean irradiance of the LEDs was significantly higher than that of the halogens irrespective of barrier placement and at all-time points. CONCLUSION: The ICB used in this study resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the irradiance output. No significant difference in the irradiance was found at different curing time intervals for the tested units regardless of ICB usage.