Evaluation of the optical property of fluorescence in different thicknesses of enamel resin

Abstract

The evolution of composite resins in dentistry has provided materials with greater durability and aesthetics, and can be used for both small and large restorations. The use of composite resins, while maintaining the particularities of each patient and also combined with the layering technique, ensures that the final result is increasingly aesthetic and close to the natural tooth. Fluorescence is the ability of materials to absorb ultraviolet light and emit visible light, providing brightness and vitality. In dentistry, this property is essential for restoring the aesthetics of teeth, since it simulates the natural optical behavior of the dentition, making restorations more imperceptible and natural. This experimental study used 12 test specimens of nanohybrid enamel composite resin (Llis FGM Dental Group, Joinville-SC, Brazil) in shades EA1 and DA2. The samples were prepared with thicknesses of 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm and 2.0 mm in steel matrices. Photopolymerization was performed with a photopolymerizer (Radii-cal SDI) (Victoria, Australia) on both sides of the samples. For evaluation, the specimens were illuminated by a UV lamp in a darkroom, and a single-blind evaluator analyzed the relative fluorescence. The subjective analysis resulted in a ranking of the samples according to the degree of fluorescence, allowing comparison between different thicknesses of enamel resin. The data were tabulated and fluorescence results obtained after a careful analysis of the enamel resin samples, each evaluated three times in three different positions, showed no significant visual differences in fluorescence when varying the thickness of the enamel resin. After 7 days, a new analysis was performed which found that there were no visible differences in the samples, showing that the thickness of the enamel resin does not significantly influence the fluorescence of the dentin resin.