Color stability of composite resin cements.

This study sought to determine the difference in color stability of resin cements after one year of storage in water. Three commercial resin cements (Nexus 3, Calibra, Variolink 2) were evaluated under three different curing conditions (photo-, dual-, and self-cure) over three storage time periods (3, 6, and 12 months). A plastic mold was used to prepare cylindrical specimens of each of the three resin cements. For the phototcured specimens, only the base component of the resin cement was cured. For the dual- and self-cure specimens, the base and catalyst of the cements were mixed according to the manufacturer's instructions, syringed into the mold, and either photocured as before (dual-cure) or allowed to chemically set (self-cure). The total amount of color change (delta E) was calculated using a spectrophotometer after 24 hours (baseline) and after 3, 6, and 12 months of storage in distilled water. Data were analyzed using a repeated measures ANOVA and a Tukey test. After one year of storage, Nexus 3 demonstated the lowest color change values (delta E) under all curing conditions, although it was not significantly different from Variolink 2 when photocured or Calibra when self-cured. New resin cements without a traditional benzoyl peroxide/amine redox initiator system, such as Nexus 3, could be more color-stable over time.