Light-transmitting ability of marketed fiber posts.

If proper polymerization of resin-based cements is to be achieved for fiber post luting, light activation is needed for photo-curing agents, recommended for self-curing materials. The study was aimed at verifying whether the light-transmitting ability of marketed fiber posts reflected the manufacturers' claims for translucency. Ten posts per type were light-irradiated with a curing unit. Spectrophotometric measurements of the amount of photons reaching different post levels were taken. Data were statistically analyzed (linear regression, two-way ANOVA; alpha = 0.05). No light transmission was recorded through FibreKleer and Tech21 X-OP. For the other posts, light intensity decreased from coronal to apical and rose again at the apical tip, where it peaked for GC Fiber Post, Macrolock Illusion Post, and Radix Fiber Post. Light transmission was significantly higher at the coronal level. A statistically significant difference in translucency was found for Dentin Post X and FRC Postec Plus in comparison with Reforpost, FibreKleer, Tech21 X-OP, and Composipost.