Sammanfattning
Too short light curing time of a dental polymer composite material may lead to inadequate curing. Too long curing time may increase the risk of heat dissipation and hazard to oral tissue and pulp. The brightness (irradiance) emitted by the curing light device decreases with increasing distance between the light tip and material surfaces. To compensate for reduced irradiance, the curing time must be increased to assure a sufficient light dose necessary for adequate curing. Shorter curing times than about 10 seconds may result in inadequate cuing. Use of irradiances higher than about 2000 mW/cm2 is not necessary to obtain adequate light doses. Monitoring the irradiance aids in estimating the curing time and indirectly in detecting damage to the device. Use of a plastic sleeve to cover the light tip prevents spread of infectious agents and material attachment. The light emission should be homogenous across the light tip surface.