Bond strength and hardness of light-activated composite resins.

The bond strength of visible light-activated composites to etched enamel was measured as a function of exposure time. Studies have shown that the bottom surface may not be as hard as the top after customary cure times. Therefore this study also measured hardness and related it to enamel bonding. Plexiglas molds were used to simulate extracoronal applications where light is not attenuated by enamel. Bond strength and hardness of the bottom surfaces reached maximum values after the same exposure times with two of the three composites. More exposure time than normally recommended by manufacturers was needed to obtain maximum bond strength to enamel.