LIGHT CURING UNITS AND THEIR INTENSITY OUTPUT IN DENTAL SETUPS OF ISLAMABAD AND RAWALPINDI

Authors

  • Ahmed Usman Ashfaq Department of Operative Dentistry, Islamabad Medical and Dental College
  • Muhammad Ali Faridi Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University.
  • Usman Anwer Bhatti Department of Operative Dentistry, Islamabad International Dental College, Riphah International University
  • Abdul Khabeer Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: Dental composites are commonly used to restore teeth. However, to ensure adequate physical properties and biocompatibility, they require sufficient light intensity with the help of light curing units (LCU). This study aimed to evaluate the type and intensity of LCU being used in the dental setups of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Methods: Dental clinics were visited and the type of the LCU was noted. Three consecutive intensity measurements were taken using a radiometer. For Quartz tungsten halogen (QTH) LCU, a light intensity below 300mW/cm2 was considered unsatisfactory, while for light-emitting diode (LED) LCU, a reading below 600mW/cm2 was considered unsatisfactory. To analyse the difference between the output intensities of the two LCU, Mann-Whitney U test was used (p<0.05), while Fisher’s Exact test was used for the association between the type of LCU and clinical acceptability of output intensity. Results: A total of 96 LCU were evaluated, out of which, eight were QTH and 88 were LED. A total of 16.7% LCU were considered unsatisfactory. Amongst them, 62.5% QTH had intensity less than 300mW/cm2, while for LED, 12.5% had intensity below 600mW/cm2. The mean intensity for LED was statistically significant compared to QTH LCU (p<0.05). A statistically significant association existed between the type of LCU and their intensity (p<0.05). Conclusion: A trend towards the use of LED LCU in the dental setups of Islamabad and Rawalpindi was observed. LED LCU showed greater mean light intensity than QTH LCU. Periodic evaluation of LCU using radiometers is suggested to ensure optimal intensity output.

Author Biography

Ahmed Usman Ashfaq, Department of Operative Dentistry, Islamabad Medical and Dental College

Postgraduate Resident,

References

Santini A, Gallegos IT, Felix CM. Photoinitiators in dentistry: a review. Prim Dent J 2013;2(4):30–3.

Alshaafi MM. Evaluation of light-curing units in rural and urban areas. Saudi Dent J 2012;24(3-4):163–7.

Al Shaafi MM, Maawadh AM, Al Qahtani MQ. Evaluation of light intensity output of QTH and LED curing devices in various governmental health institutions. Oper Dent 2011;36(4):356–61.

Jafarzadeh TS, Erfan M, Behroozibakhsh M, Fatemi M, Masaeli R, Rezaei Y, et al. Evaluation of polymerization efficacy in composite resins via FT-IR spectroscopy and Vickers microhardness test. J Dent Res Dent Clin Dent Prospects 2015;9(4):226–32.

Ariani D, Herda E, Eriwati YK. Effects of light intensity and curing time of the newest LED Curing units on the diametral tensile strength of microhybrid composite resins. J Phys 2017;884(1):012106.

Kamoun EA, Winkel A, Eisenburger M, Menzel H. Carboxylated camphorquinone as visible-light photoinitiator for biomedical application: Synthesis, characterization, and application. Arab J Chem 2016;1;9(5):745–54.

Brandt WC, Schneider LF, Frollini E, Correr-Sobrinho L, Sinhoreti MA. Effect of different photo-initiators and light curing units on degree of conversion of composites. Braz Oral Res 2010;24(3):263–70.

Solomon CS, Osman YI. Evaluating the efficacy of curing lights. SADJ 1999;54(8):357–62.

Mohammed A, Ario S. Resin-Based Composite and LCU-related Factors Affecting the Degree of Cure. A Literature Review: Part 2. Light Curing Units & Related Factors. Acta Marisiensis-Ser Medica 2015;61(4):255–60.

Kameyama A, Haruyama A, Asami M, Takahashi T. Effect of emitted wavelength and light guide type on irradiance discrepancies in hand-held dental curing radiometers. Sci World J 2013;2013:647941.

Price RB, Ferracane JL, Shortall AC. Light-curing units: a review of what we need to know. J Dent Res 2015;94(9):1179–86.

Jena A, Mohapatra S, Shashirekha G. Evaluation of the Effect of Protective Sleeve on Output Intensity of Light Emitting Diode Light Cure Units. J Dent Mater Tech 2016;5(3):120–4.

Madhusudhana K, Swathi TV, Suneelkumar C, Lavanya A. A clinical survey of the output intensity of light curing units in dental offices across Nellore urban area. J Res Dent Sci 2016;7(2):64–8.

ISO Standard. ISO 4049 Polymer based filling, restorative and luting materials. 3rd Ed. International Organization for Standardization. 2000.

Price RB, Shortall AC, Palin WM. Contemporary issues in light curing. Oper Dent 2014;39(1):4–14.

Soares CJ, Bragança GF, Pereira RA, Rodrigues MD, Braga SS, Oliveira LR, et al. Irradiance and radiant exposures delivered by LED light-curing units used by a left and right-handed operator. Braz Dent J 2018;29(3):282–9.

Khan FR, Jamille J, Umer F, Hussain SS. A survey of the composite curing units used in the dental institutions of Karachi, Pakistan. J Pak Dent Assoc 2011;20(4):222–5.

Barghi N, Berry T, Hatton C. Evaluating intensity output of curing lights in private dental offices. J Am Dent Assoc 1994;125:992–6.

El-Mowafy OM, El-Badrawawy W, Lewis DW, Babak S, Kermalli J, Soliman O, et al. Intensity of quartz-tungsten-halogen light-curing units used in private practice in Toronto. J Am Dent Assoc 2005;136:766–73.

Omidi BR, Gosili A, Jaber-Ansari M, Mahdkhah A. Intensity output and effectiveness of light curing units in dental offices. J Clin Exp Dent 2018;10(6):e555–60.

Awliya WY. The influence of temperature on the efficacy of polymerization of composite resin. J Contemp Dent Pract 2007;8(6):9–16.

Jandt KD, Mills RW. A brief history of LED photopolymerization. Dent Mater 2013;29(6):605–17.

Alquria T, Al Gady M, Khabeer A, Ali S. Types of polymerization units and their intensity output in private dental clinics of twin cities in eastern province, KSA; a pilot study. J Taibah Univ Med Sci 2019;14(1):47–51.

Rueggeberg FA, Giannini M, Arrais CAG, Price RBT. Light curing in dentistry and clinical implications: a literature review. Braz Oral Res 2017;31(Suppl 1):e61.

Published

2021-11-08

Issue

Vol. 33 No. No-4, SUPPL.1 (2021): JOURNAL OF AYUB MEDICAL COLLEGE ABBOTTABAD

Section

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

License

Journal of Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad is an OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL which means that all content is FREELY available without charge to all users whether registered with the journal or not. The work published by J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad is licensed and distributed under the creative commons License  CC BY ND Attribution-NoDerivs. Material printed in this journal is OPEN to access, and are FREE for use in academic and research work with proper citation. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad accepts only original material for publication with the understanding that except for abstracts, no part of the data has been published or will be submitted for publication elsewhere before appearing in J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. The Editorial Board of J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of material printed in J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. However, conclusions and statements expressed are views of the authors and do not reflect the opinion/policy of J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad or the Editorial Board.

USERS are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.

AUTHORS retain the rights of free downloading/unlimited e-print of full text and sharing/disseminating the article without any restriction, by any means including twitter, scholarly collaboration networks such as ResearchGate, Academia.eu, and social media sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Scholar and any other professional or academic networking site.