AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON HARDNESS IN VISIBLE LIGHT-CURED COMPOSITE RESIN AT VARYING DEPTH

가시광선(可視光線) 복합(復合)레진의 심부경도(深部硬度) 측정(測定)에 관(關)한 실험적(實驗的) 연구(硏究)

The purpose of this study was to measure the Micro-Knoop Hardness of three commercial visible light-cured composite resins (Plurafil-super, He1iosit and Durafi) according to the difference of depth and shade. Specimens of the resin were prepapared in plastic tubes 5mm in diameter with height of 5mm, and the tubes were put into the columned holes in stone molds. The molds were exposed to the visible light through the hole 5mm in diameter in metal plate. Specimens were sectioned (longitudinally) with disk. Knoop Hardness measurements were made at the depth of surface, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0mm from the surface to the deep portion. Knoop Hardness numbers were taken on each depth under 20gm load for 10 seconds with Shimadzu Tester. The following results were: 1. The highest hardness value was measured at 0.5mm depth. Then the deeper the depth, the lesser the hardness was observed. 2. The value of hardness was directly propotional to the time of exposure to the light. 3. The hardness of light shade resin was higher than the that of the dark shade. 4. The pattern of hardness change at varying depth is similar to all the experimental materials with no relation to the shade nor exposure time.