Effectiveness of light-curing units in vocational training practices. A project administered by the Research Committee of the Faculty of General Dental Practitioners (UK).

A project has been organised by the Research Committee of the Faculty of General Dental Practitioners (UK) in conjunction with vocational training advisers in which vocational dental practitioners (VDPs) tested the effectiveness of the light-curing units in their surgeries using Heliotests (Ivoclar-Vivadent) and Z100 Composite (3M). The VDPs also completed a questionnaire giving details of their light-curing units. The mean incremental depth stated as being used by the respondents was 2.6 mm; 43.5% of the participants' light-curing units (n = 63) were found to produce a depth of cure less than this figure. However, no correlation was found between reported post-operative clinical problems and cure depth lower than 2.6 mm. A negative correlation between depth of cure and age of light-curing unit was noted, with older units tending to cure the composite samples to less depth than newer units (p = 0.002). One-fifth of the participating VDPs' practices had some means of checking curing-light effectiveness. Greater awareness of the need to monitor practice light-curing units is therefore required.