Clinical Research Associates
LED
RESIN CURING LIGHTS — 2004
Additional Study Details: The following information supplements the
April 2004 CRA Newsletter article on LED curing lights.
INDEX
1. Additional
curing light features
2. POWER & Intensity measurements
3. Energy
output profiles & spectra
6. ADDITIONAL
results of Curing Light Survey – 2004
1. Additional
curing light features
The
following chart shows additional features & details for each curing light
evaluated. Information comes from manufacturer’s
specifications & CRA testing.
2. POWER
& Intensity measurements
Power:
“Power”
generally refers to the total power emitted from the tip of a curing light in
the form of visible (blue) radiation. Two
methods are commonly used to measure power:
1) Optical power meter with a thermopile-type detector; & 2)
Integrating sphere with radiometer. Both
methods have advantages & disadvantages, & no two meters give exactly
the same power readings. Furthermore,
the design of the light itself can affect how it interfaces with a meter, &
thus the power reading. When comparing
the power of different lights it is best to measure them on the same meter, if
possible.
Intensity:
“Intensity”
(or power density) is often calculated by dividing the total power by the area
of the light guide, as per ISO standard TR10650-1999 “Powered Polymerization
Lights”. However, many LED lights do not
have conventional fused fiber optic light guides with a well defined area. Consequently, the ISO method cannot be
uniformly applied to all curing lights.
Currently, there is no standard method for measuring intensity of dental
resin curing lights that works well for all lights. This unfortunate condition arises from the
fact that dentistry has misused the term “intensity” in describing curing
lights. Intensity more properly refers
to the total power of the radiation falling within (i.e. illuminating) a given
area of a surface , not the actual light source producing the radiation.
Power
& intensity values alone do not always predict curing performance. These measurements become more meaningful
when they are reported along with actual resin curing performance data.
Dental
Radiometers:
Dental
radiometers are convenient, simple, relatively inexpensive light meters. Most are simple output level indicators with
no calibration. Some have been
calibrated for a specific curing light & light guide diameter to give intensity
readings similar to the results of the ISO method. Consequently, most dental radiometer manufacturers
warn that the readings given for lights other than the one specified may not be
accurate. Despite their simplicity they
do provide clinicians with an easy way to check & track the output of their
lights.
CRA
usually chooses to report intensity values in the Newsletter as given by dental
radiometers. We recognize the
limitations & inaccuracies of such meters, but these are the types of
meters that are accessible to clinicians.
Furthermore, dental radiometers usually have detectors which can be
accessed by all types of curing light designs, so a reasonable reading can be
obtained for all curing lights on the same meter.
The
light guides or tips used in CRA’s tests were the standard tips included with
the light. If more than one were
included, CRA used the tip closest to 8 mm in diameter. Tips used in testing are as follows:
Advance LED I..................... Turbo
light tip
Allegro................................... 8
mm glass TIR tip
bluephase............................. Power
booster light probe 13>8 mm
Coltolux LED........................ Lens
Cool Blue Wand................... Curing
tip
Elipar FreeLight 2................ Turbo light guide (8mm)
FLASHlite 1001................... Lens
Hilux LED 3........................... 11
mm
Hilux LED 5........................... 11
mm
L.E.Demetron I..................... 8
mm turbo tip
LCD 8837B Hi-Power......... Lens
Mega Light............................ 8
mm light guide
Mini L.E.D............................. 7.5
mm light guide
Radii...................................... Lens
SmartLite iQ......................... 8.5 mm tapered probe
SmartLite PS........................ LED
tip
The Cure 24.......................... Lens
Ultra-Lume LED 2................ Clear lens
Ultra-Lume LED 5................ Clear lens
Uni-LED................................ Curing
tip
UniLite II................................ 8.5
mm tip
Optilux 401............................ 11
mm
Optilux 501............................ 8
mm turbo+
PowerPAC........................... 8
mm
The
following chart shows readings taken from three dental radiometers. The Spring Light Meter 3K & LED
Radiometer are both accessory devices which could be purchased & used with
any light. The Allegro meter is built
into the charging base of the Allegro light & is designed specifically to measure the Allegro handpiece. All the lights were measured on it (even though results may not be directly comparable to other meters)
Spring Light LED Allegro
Meter 3K Radiometer Built-in
LIGHT (Spring Health) (Demetron) (Den-Mat)
Advance LED I....................... 850
mW/cm2............. 780
mW/cm2.......... 1693
mW/cm2
Allegro.................................. 1250
mW/cm2.......... 1250
mW/cm2.......... *1120
mW/cm2
bluephase............................ 1150
mW/cm2.......... 1150
mW/cm2.......... 2244
mW/cm2
Coltolux LED.......................... 900
mW/cm2............. 800
mW/cm2.......... 1520
mW/cm2
Cool Blue Wand.................... 700
mW/cm2............. 850
mW/cm2............. 907
mW/cm2
Elipar FreeLight 2................. 900 mW/cm2............. 850 mW/cm2.......... 1502 mW/cm2
FLASHlite 1001..................... 700
mW/cm2............. 620
mW/cm2............. 973
mW/cm2
Hilux LED 3............................ 950
mW/cm2............. 800
mW/cm2.......... 2183
mW/cm2
Hilux LED 5............................ 850
mW/cm2............. 750
mW/cm2.......... 2012
mW/cm2
L.E.Demetron I.................... 1400
mW/cm2.......... 1300
mW/cm2.......... 2460
mW/cm2
LCD 8837B Hi-Power.......... 780
mW/cm2............. 780
mW/cm2............. 623
mW/cm2
Mega Light............................. 200
mW/cm2............. 200
mW/cm2............. would not register
Mini L.E.D.............................. 950
mW/cm2.......... 1000
mW/cm2.......... 1415
mW/cm2
Radii..................................... 1000
mW/cm2............. 900
mW/cm2.......... 1806
mW/cm2
SmartLite iQ........................... 800 mW/cm2............. 720 mW/cm2............. 958 mW/cm2
SmartLite PS......................... 600
mW/cm2............. 620
mW/cm2.......... 1126
mW/cm2
The Cure 24......................... 1300
mW/cm2.......... 1200
mW/cm2.......... 1999
mW/cm2
Ultra-Lume LED 2................. 500 mW/cm2............. 550 mW/cm2............. 763 mW/cm2
Ultra-Lume LED 5................. 750 mW/cm2............. 800 mW/cm2.......... 1071 mW/cm2
Uni-LED.................................. 200
mW/cm2............. 250
mW/cm2............. 566
mW/cm2
UniLite II.................................. 200
mW/cm2............. 200
mW/cm2............. 560
mW/cm2
Optilux 401............................. 880
mW/cm2............. 680
mW/cm2.......... 1262
mW/cm2
Optilux 501........................... 1200
mW/cm2.......... 1000
mW/cm2.......... 2788
mW/cm2
PowerPAC........................... 2100
mW/cm2.......... 1700
mW/cm2.......... 5031
mW/cm2
*The Allegro reaches maximum intensity 2-3 mm beyond the light guide (2119 mW/cm2
CRA POWER TEST DATA
TEST
1 (Molectron PM3 Power Probe & PM5200 Laser Power
Meter)
1. The Molectron PM5200 meter with PM3 power probe is turned on
& allowed to warm up at least 15 minutes.
2. The
light guide or tip of the curing light is positioned as best as possible over
the PM3, or within its orifice without actually touching the thermopile
surface, so as to produce the maximum power reading possible (i.e. the attempt
is made to capture as much of the light’s energy as possible).
3. The
light is activated for 10 seconds & the output allowed to stabilize during
that time.
4. At the
end of 10 seconds, the power is recorded in milliwatts.
(Note:
Due to the simplicity of this test, it is used to regularly check the output of
lights during all other testing conducted.)
RESULTS
(using the standard curing tips provided with the lights):
Advance LED I.............................. 350
mW
Allegro............................................ 593
mW
bluephase...................................... 525
mW
Coltolux LED.................................. 537
mW
Cool Blue Wand............................ 335
mW
Elipar FreeLight 2......................... 400 mW
FLASHlite 1001............................ 354
mW
Hilux LED 3.................................... 447
mW
Hilux LED 5.................................... 388
mW
L.E.Demetron I.............................. 591
mW
LCD 8837B Hi-Power.................. 565
mW
Mega Light....................................... 81
mW
Mini L.E.D...................................... 512
mW
Radii............................................... 459
mW
SmartLite iQ.................................. 314 mW
SmartLite PS................................. 325
mW
The Cure 24................................... 608
mW
Ultra-Lume LED 2......................... 431 mW
Ultra-Lume LED 5......................... 448 mW
Uni-LED......................................... 100
mW
UniLite II............................................ 98
mW
Optilux 401..................................... 527
mW
Optilux 501..................................... 551
mW
PowerPAC.................................. 1030
mW
TEST
2 (International Light Radiometer & Integrating Sphere)
1. The
IL1500 Research Radiometer with SEE015 detector & INS250 integrating sphere
is turned on & allowed to warm up at least 15 minutes.
2. The
light guide or tip of the curing light is positioned in the user port of the
sphere.
3. The
light is activated for 10 seconds & the output allowed to stabilize during
that time.
4. At the
end of 10 seconds, the power is recorded in milliwatts.
(Note: Both power test methods are regularly used
with computerized data acquisition systems to collect power vs. time data, suitable
for creating a power output “profile”.)
RESULTS
(using the standard curing tips provided with the lights):
Advance LED I.............................. 276
mW
Allegro............................................ 440
mW
bluephase...................................... 394
mW
Coltolux LED.................................. 454
mW
Cool Blue Wand............................ 356
mW
Elipar FreeLight 2......................... 298 mW
FLASHlite 1001............................ 274
mW
Hilux LED 3.................................... 343
mW
Hilux LED 5.................................... 301
mW
L.E.Demetron I.............................. 455
mW
LCD 8837B Hi-Power.................. 426
mW
Mega Light....................................... 59
mW
Mini L.E.D...................................... 385
mW
Radii............................................... 339
mW
SmartLite iQ.................................. 244 mW
SmartLite PS................................. 262
mW
The Cure 24................................... 494
mW
Ultra-Lume LED 2......................... 426 mW
Ultra-Lume LED 5......................... 448 mW
Uni-LED............................................ 76
mW
UniLite II............................................ 76
mW
Optilux 401..................................... 427
mW
Optilux 501..................................... 417
mW
PowerPAC..................................... 715
mW
CRA INTENSITY TEST DATA
TEST
(Aperture over integrating sphere)
1. A black
metal mask (0.0125” thick) with an aperture of a certain diameter is placed in
user port of integrating sphere.
2. The
light guide or tip of the curing light is positioned 3 mm above aperture.
3. The
light is activated for 10 seconds & the output allowed to stabilize during
that time.
4. At the
end of 10 seconds the power is recorded in milliwatts.
5. Intensity
in milliwatts per square centimeter is calculated by
dividing the power by the area of the aperture.
The
following diagram shows the theory behind this test. The goal is to measure the intensity of the
light illuminating the surface of the tooth/resin. Imagine a circle defining a certain area on
the tooth surface. Measure the total
power falling within this imaginary circle, then divide by the area of the
circle to calculate intensity. This is
simulated in vitro using a mask with an aperture of the same diameter as the
imaginary circle. The total power of the
light passing through the aperture is measured, then divided by the area of the
aperture.
RESULTS
(using the standard curing tips provided with the lights):
8 mm 5
mm
Aperture Aperture
LIGHT (0.50 cm2) (0.20 cm2)
Advance LED I............................. 525
mW/cm2................... 784
mW/cm2
Allegro.......................................... 815
mW/cm2................ 1380
mW/cm2
bluephase..................................... 623
mW/cm2................... 881
mW/cm2
Coltolux LED................................ 465
mW/cm2................... 540
mW/cm2
Cool Blue Wand.......................... 221
mW/cm2................... 280
mW/cm2
Elipar FreeLight 2....................... 492 mW/cm2................... 718 mW/cm2
FLASHlite 1001........................... 388
mW/cm2................... 519
mW/cm2
Hilux LED 3.................................. 562
mW/cm2................... 988
mW/cm2
Hilux LED 5.................................. 490
mW/cm2................... 876
mW/cm2
L.E.Demetron I............................. 838
mW/cm2................ 1220
mW/cm2
LCD 8837B Hi-Power................ 517
mW/cm2................... 637
mW/cm2
Mega Light................................... 112
mW/cm2................... 178
mW/cm2
Mini L.E.D.................................... 356
mW/cm2................... 509
mW/cm2
Radii............................................. 496
mW/cm2................... 688
mW/cm2
SmartLite iQ................................. 435 mW/cm2................... 626 mW/cm2
SmartLite PS............................... 292
mW/cm2................... 372
mW/cm2
The Cure 24................................. 646
mW/cm2................ 1025
mW/cm2
Ultra-Lume LED 2....................... 400 mW/cm2................... 438 mW/cm2
Ultra-Lume LED 5....................... 473 mW/cm2................... 560 mW/cm2
Uni-LED........................................ 140
mW/cm2................... 255
mW/cm2
UniLite II........................................ 125
mW/cm2................... 224
mW/cm2
Optilux 401................................... 569
mW/cm2................... 728
mW/cm2
Optilux 501................................... 673
mW/cm2................... 963
mW/cm2
PowerPAC................................. 1362
mW/cm2................ 2664
mW/cm2
3. Energy
output profiles & spectra
The
following charts show: 1) The energy
output profile for each mode available on each curing light (note: not all
timer settings are represented); & 2) The spectral output of each light.
Advance LED I............................ Profile............ Spectrum
Allegro.........................................
Profile............ Spectrum
bluephase.................................... Profile............ Spectrum
Coltolux LED............................... Profile............ Spectrum
Cool Blue Wand.......................... Profile............ Spectrum
Elipar FreeLight 2....................... Profile............ Spectrum
FLASHlite 1001.......................... Profile............ Spectrum
Hilux LED 3................................. Profile............ Spectrum
Hilux LED 5................................. Profile............ Spectrum
L.E.Demetron I............................ Profile............ Spectrum
LCD 8837B Hi-Power................ Profile............ Spectrum
Mega Light.................................. Profile............ Spectrum
Mini L.E.D.................................... Profile............ Spectrum
Radii............................................. Profile............ Spectrum
SmartLite iQ................................ Profile............ Spectrum
SmartLite PS.............................. Profile............ Spectrum
The Cure 24................................ Profile............ Spectrum
Ultra-Lume LED 2....................... Profile............ Spectrum
Ultra-Lume LED 5....................... Profile............ Spectrum
Uni-LED....................................... Profile............ Spectrum
UniLite II....................................... Profile............ Spectrum
Optilux 401.................................. Profile............ Spectrum
Optilux 501.................................. Profile............ Spectrum
PowerPAC.................................. Profile............ Spectrum
Curing
performance was first evaluated by determining the time required to cure a 2 mm
thickness of the universal color & the most opaque color of 4 popular direct
composite restorative resins. These data
were then used to order the lights from fastest to slowest. Then 11 other resin brands were tested with a
combination of fast & slow lights to evaluate the ability of LED lights to
be used for all light curing applications.
Lastly, the cure times for two non-camphorquinone
resins were determined to evaluate each light’s ability to polymerize all
current light-cured resin products.
Following the polymerization testing the ranking of each light &
resin combination was estimated using a green-yellow-red scale as follows:
Green = Cures
within time specified in resin instructions
Yellow = Cures,
but requires more time than specified
Red = Will
not cure, or requires excessive time (>60 sec)
RESULTS
·
Direct
Restorative Resins: All LED lights cured
all universal shades within the times specified by the manufacturers. The most opaque shades of nano/microfill
resins required additional time for the lower intensity lights.
·
Cements: All LED lights cured the cements through the porcelain
veneer within the time specified.
·
Flowable Resin: Results were resin
brand dependent. Lower intensity lights
required longer cure times.
·
Temporary
Resin: Temporary resin remained
exceptionally soft immediately after LED cure, although it hardened later.
·
Core
Build-Up Materials: All LED lights cured
core build-ups. Lowest intensity lights
may require additional time for some brands of resin.
·
Adhesives: All LED lights cured all adhesives. Lowest intensity lights may require
additional time for some brands.
·
Non-CQ
Resins: Only Ultra-Lume
LED 5 cured all non-cq resins tested. LED lights with low wavelength peaks cured
some resins, or required additional time.
CONCLUSIONS
·
LED
lights appear well indicated for direct resin restorative procedures (adhesive
& composite resin), but caution should be exercised, especially for other
types of light curing procedures, since they don’t have universal versatility.
SUMMARY OF RESIN CURE
TEST METHODS
Direct Restorative Composites, Flowable
Resins, & Temporary Resins
1.
Resin
molds are 2 mm thick stainless steel with a 5 mm diameter hole. Below the hole is a
1 mm thick glass microscope slide & a strip of black paper to reduce
reflections. The paper, glass, &
stainless steel are held together with small binder clamps.
2.
Samples
are prepared by packing resin into the mold, removing excess, then covering with a thin mylar
strip to produce a flat top.
3.
Samples
are cured by positioning them 3 mm below the tip of the light & exposing.
4.
Resin
hardness is tested by positioning sample under indentor
point of a GYZJ 935 Barcol Hardness Tester &
taking 3 readings, in the center, & at positions 1 mm from the center along
a common diameter. The 3 readings are
averaged.
5.
All
tests (series of samples) are repeated at least 3 times & statistical
analyses performed on data.
6.
“Baseline”
hardness is established by curing the resin for its specified time with a
conventional halogen light (Optilux 401). Hardness is tested on the top surface
(closest to the light), & averaged over the three samples to calculate the
“baseline” or ideal hardness.
7.
Each
sample is postioned under the test light &
exposed for a multiple of 5 seconds (5, 10, 15, etc.).
8.
Hardness
is immediately measured on the bottom surface (2 mm).
9.
If
the hardness is greater than or equal to 90% of the “baseline” hardness for
that resin, then the resin is considered cured.
If the hardness is less than 90% of the “baseline”, then the resin is
considered uncured.
10. Additonal samples are made & the cure time
adjusted up or down in 5 second intervals until the minimum time required to
make the transition from uncured to cured is
discovered.
11. After the 3 series of samples are
complete, the 3 minimum times are averaged & rounded up to the next 5
second interval & recorded as the “minimum cure time”.
Cements
1. An
extracted human molar is embedded in resin & the occlusal
surface ground down to dentin, then polished with 320 grit sandpaper.
2. A
slab of Empress porcelain, shade A2, is prepared to represent a “thick”
veneer. Diameter is approximately 10 mm
& thickness is approximately 1 mm.
3. A
thin layer of cement is placed on the tooth surface & covered with a thin
strip of mylar.
4. The
porcelain “veneer” is placed on top of the mylar
& pressed to express excess cement.
5. The
tip of the light is placed directly onto the middle of the porcelain &
activated for a multiple of 5 seconds (5, 10, 15, etc.).
6. The
porcelain & mylar are removed & the cement
scratched with a dental explorer to determine hardness.
7. All
tests (series of samples) are repeated at least 3 times & statistical
analyses performed on data.
8. “Baseline”
hardness is first established using a conventional halogen light (Optilux 401) for the time specified by the cement.
9. Additional
samples are tested with the test light & the cure times adjusted up or down
until the minimum time required to produce a cure comparable to the halogen
light is determined.
10. After
the 3 series of samples are complete, the 3 minimum times are averaged &
rounded up to the next 5 second interval & recored
as the “minimum cure time”.
Core Build-Up Material
1. An
extracted human molar is embedded in resin & the occlusal
surface ground down to dentin, then polished with 320 grit sandpaper.
2. A
number 5 Build-it! (Pentron) transparent core form is
filled with build-up material & placed onto the tooth surface.
3. The
tip of the light is placed directly onto the top of the form & activated
for a multiple of 5 seconds (5, 10, 15, etc.).
4. The
form & build-up material are popped free from the tooth surface & the
bottom of the material is scratched with a dental explorer to determine
hardness.
5. All
tests (series of samples) are repeated at least 3 times & statistical
analyses performed on data.
6. “Baseline”
hardness is first established using a conventional halogen light (Optilux 401) for the time specified by the build-up
material.
7. Additional
samples are tested with the test light & the cure times adjusted up or down
until the minimum time required to produce a cure comparable to the halogen
light is determined.
8. After
the 3 series of samples are complete, the 3 minimum times are averaged &
rounded up to the next 5 second interval & recored
as the “minimum cure time”.
Adhesives
1. An
extracted human molar is embedded in resin & the occlusal
surface ground down to dentin, then polished with 320 grit sandpaper.
2. A
thin layer of adhesive is applied to the dentin surface following the resin
manufacturer’s instructions.
3. The
tip of the light is positioned 3 mm above the adhesive & activated for a
multiple of 5 seconds (5, 10, 15, etc.).
4. The
surface of the adhesive is immediately wiped with an alcohol dampened Kimwipe & examined at 10X under a light
microscope. The adhesive is prodded with
a resin tool to determine hardness.
5. All
tests (series of samples) are repeated at least 3 times & statistical
analyses performed on data.
6. “Baseline”
hardness is first established using a conventional halogen light (Optilux 401) for the time specified by the adhesive.
7. Additional
samples are tested with the test light & the cure times adjusted up or down
until the minimum time required to produce a cure comparable to the halogen
light is determined.
8. After
the 3 series of samples are complete, the 3 minimum times are averaged &
rounded up to the next 5 second interval & recored
as the “minimum cure time”.
The
following graph shows power output over time for all battery operated LED
lights. Battery life was tested by
positioning light over PM3 power probe then activating the light for 10 seconds,
then deactivating it for 20 seconds (30% duty cycle), repeated until the unit
would no longer produce light. The small
black diamond marks where the low battery warning first turned on, however the
data are incomplete since this was not recorded for all lights.
Some
lights overheated during this accelerated testing & entered a thermal
protection mode. When this occurred they
were allowed to cool 10 – 15 minutes, then the test was restarted. This cooling period allowed the battery to
“rebound”, producing the “saw-tooth” appearance of their graphs.
6. ADDITIONAL
results of Curing Light Survey – 2004
The
following survey was sent to over 30,000 CRA Newsletter subscribers.
2,536
responses were tabulated.
Most Used Curing Lights
The
responses to questions 1 & 2 were combined to generate a list of most
commonly used lights.
Optilux
(all models except 501) 24.2%
Optilux
501 15.5%
L.E.Demetron
I 9.5%
Apollo
(plasma arc) 5.9%
PAC
light 5.0%
Rembrandt
(plasma arc) 4.7%
Hilux
(halogen) 3.9%
Spectrum
(all models) 2.9%
Curing
Light (all models) 2.5%
ARC
Light 2.1%
FLASHlite 2.1%
The
Max 2.1%
Elipar
FreeLight 1.2%
Avante 1.8%
Coltolux
(halogen, all models) 1.6%
Radii 1.1%
Ultra-Lume
LED 1 & 2 1.1%
Elipar
(halogen, all models) 1.0%
Rembrandt
Virtuoso Phase II 0.8%
Astralis 0.8%
Ultra-Lume
LED 5 0.8%
The
Cure 0.7%
Visible
/ Economic Curing Light 0.7%
Allegro 0.6%
Visilux 0.5%
VIP 0.4%
Kreativ
Kuring Light 0.4%
Litex
(all models) 0.4%
ProLite 0.4%
AccuCure 0.4%
QHL
75 0.4%
SmartLite
iQ 0.4%
TCL 0.3%
Arago 0.2%
Jet
Lite 0.2%
Translux 0.2%
Lunar
TA 0.2%
Nova 0.2%
EFOS
(all models) 0.1%
Maxima
480 0.1%
Ortholux 0.1%
Wavelight 0.1%
Argon
Curing Laser 0.1%
Fiber-Lite 0.1%
Heliolux 0.1%
LC
(all models) 0.1%
Plasma
Lux 0.1%
SunLite 0.1%
Advance
320 <0.1%
Advance
LED 1 <0.1%
Apollo
e-Light <0.1%
Aristocrat <0.1%
CU-80 <0.1%
Command
Light <0.1%
Cool
Blue Wand <0.1%
Credi
II <0.1%
Dental
Laser 200 <0.1%
Diamond
Plasma Arc <0.1%
Executor <0.1%
Flipo <0.1%
Hilux
(LED) <0.1%
Insight
II <0.1%
Midas
Plasma <0.1%
Model
1000 – 7500 <0.1%
Optimum <0.1%
Quala <0.1%
Servolite <0.1%
Superlight <0.1%
Toesco <0.1%
Vector
1500 <0.1%
Versalux <0.1%
What Do You Look For In A Curing Light?
Cures
all resins 11.4%
Built-in
timer 10.5%
Reputable
company 8.5%
High
intensity 7.7%
Convenient
controls 7.7%
Reputable
brand name 7.3%
Built-in
radiometer 5.1%
Ergonomic 5.0%
Low
cost 4.3%
Infection
control features 4.0%
Light
guide diameter 4.0%
Halogen 3.8%
Cordless 3.4%
Small
size 3.3%
LED 2.8%
Other
(various responses) 2.7%
Recommendation
of colleagues 2.7%
Plasma
arc 2.0%
Variable
intensity 1.5%
Appearance 1.3%
“Soft
start” cure mode 0.7%
Laser 0.1%
Do You Commonly Cover The Light Guide With A Barrier?
No 54.8%
Yes 45.0%
Type Of Barrier Used
Plastic 28.1%
Consumer
brand plastic wrap 13.3%
Pinnacle
cure sleeve 12.3%
Sterishield
Curelastic 6.8%
Plastic
bag 5.4%
Cure
sleeve 5.3%
Finger
cot 2.4%
Dental
Disposables 2.3%
Cellophane 1.6%
Air/water
syringe sleeve 1.5%
Light
manufacturer’s sleeve 1.3%
Latex 0.8%
Banta
sleeve 0.3%
Intraoral
camera sleeve 0.3%
.
.
.
& 18 other materials, from
rubber dam to Scotch tape