Abstract :
Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the hardness of surface and depth of cure of methacrylate-based and
silorane-based composites after curing with LED.
Materials and Methods: Forty composite discs were prepared using plastic molds with the inner diameter of 8 mm and
a height of 2 mm. These samples were divided into two groups: Group A (P90) and Group B (Z250) which were cured
and prepared. Then, the Vickers micro-hardness was measured on all samples from the superior surface close to the light
source and the inferior surface. Finally, the gleaned data were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics including
mean, SD, independent T-test, and paired T-test. The level of statistical significance was set at p-value = 0.05.
Results: The mean VHN was higher in both superior and inferior surfaces of methacrylate-based composites compared
to silorane-based composites (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05 respectively). There was a statistically significant difference in the
mean VHN of superior and inferior surfaces in the silorane group (p < 0.001). There was not any statistically significant
difference between the mean VHN of the inferior and superior surfaces of Z 250 composite (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: The curing depth of methacrylate composites exceeds far the curing depth of the silorane-based
composites.
Keyword :
Curing depth; Methacrylate-based composites; Silorane-based composites; Vickers hardness test.