Effects of curing protocols on fluid kinetics and hardness of resin cements.

The effects of polymerization protocols on water sorption/solubility, the diffusion coefficient (D), the flux (J), and the hardness (KH) of two resin cements were evaluated. The materials were manipulated and divided into three groups (n=6) according to the curing protocol: PA=photoactivation (40 s); DP=delayed photoactivation (10 min self-curing plus 40 s photoactivated); CA=chemical activation. After desiccation, the specimens were weighed, stored in water (37ºC), evaluated over 28-days, and hardness recorded. Chemical activation resulted in lower net water uptake, D, and J for RelyX ARC (RX). For Variolink II (VL), CA yielded equivalent D and lower J; however, photoactivation resulted in lower net water uptake. Hardness of VL was less affected by the water storage, irrespective of the polymerization protocol. Considering the water diffusion parameters, VL demonstrated immediate photoactivation dependence; for RX, a chemical activation. Different polymerization protocols affect the fluid kinetics and the hardness of the resin cements tested.