Real-Time Feedback of the Applied Light-Curing Technique and Its Impact on Degree of Conversion of Composite Restorations—A Study with Undergraduate Dental Students

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of individual instructions and training of dental students on the amount of applied light irradiance before and after training using a patient simulator with integrated visual feedback. Furthermore, the effect on the degree of conversion of composite restorations placed by the dental students was assessed. Forty-two dental students, split into two groups, light-cured a simulated restoration in tooth 27 of a dental patient simulator for 20 s. The irradiance (mW/cm(2)) received by the detector was measured in real-time before and after individual instructions and training, and the energy delivered (J/cm(2)) was calculated for each student. The degree of conversion at the bottom of incrementally placed composite restorations prior to individual instructions (group 1) and after individual instructions (group 2) was assessed using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The irradiance and degree of conversion measurements were re-assessed after all students received individual instructions. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Mann-Whitney U-test at an overall level of significance of α = 0.05. A significant increase (p < 0.001) in applied light irradiance could be observed after individual instructions for both groups, with notably reduced data scattering. However, no significant difference was detected for the degree of conversion of placed composite restorations before or after instruction and training. Neither gender nor age of the dental students affected the obtained results. Consistent light energy delivered by dental students could be achieved through individual instructions and training with a patient simulator, also leading to less scattered irradiance results. However, the improved light-curing performance after the training did not affect the degree of conversion of the placed class II composite restorations.