Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the water sorption and solubility of flowable resins light cured using a blue diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser.
Background data: DPSS lasers have many advantages over conventional lasers due to their compactness, efficiency, and price.
Materials and methods: The water sorption and solubility of seven different flowable resins were measured by following ISO 4049 procedures. The specimens were light cured using two different light sources: 473-nm DPSS laser (LAS) and quartz tungsten halogen (QTH) light (OP). The light-cured specimens were immersed in distilled water for 7 days. The output light intensity of LAS and OP were 500 and 800 mW/cm(2) respectively. ANOVA was performed for the statistical analysis of the obtained data (p < 0.05).
Results: The specimens light cured using LAS and OP showed no statistical difference between them regarding water sorption and solubility (almost the same values with the same product). The maximum water sorption from the specimens was not more than 40 μg/mm(3). Also, the maximum solubility was close to 7.5 μg/mm(3). These two values were the maximum limits allowed by ISO 4049. The relationship between both water sorption and solubility and filler content was negligibly low regardless of the difference of the light-curing sources.
Conclusion: Within the limits of this study, the water sorption and solubility of flowable resins, which were light cured using a DPSS laser and QTH light, were within acceptable ISO levels. The 473-nm DPSS laser showed potential as a light source for light curing flowable resins.