Composite pre-heating: Effects on marginal adaptation, degree of conversion and mechanical properties

Objectives. This study evaluated the effect of composite pre-polymerization temperature and energy density on the marginal adaptation (MA), degree of conversion (DC), flexural strength (FS), and polymer cross-linking (PCL) of a resin composite (Filtek Z350, 3M/ESPE). Methods. For MA, class V cavities (4 mm× 2m m× 2 mm) were prepared in 40 bovine incisors. The adhesive system Adper Single Bond 2 (3M/ESPE) was applied. Before being placed in the cavities, the resin composite was either kept at room-temperature (25 ◦C) or previously pre-heated to 68 ◦ C in the Calset