Fluorescence properties of commercial composite resin restorative materials in dentistry

The objective was to assess the fluorescence properties of current commercial resin composites. Sixteen light-curing resin composites, representing a total number of 241 shades, were analyzed. Fluorescence measurements of all samples were taken using the monochromator-based fluorescence reader Synergy(TM )Mx (BioTek Instruments Inc. ). Additionally, samples of dentin and enamel were analyzed for comparison. The mean of the maximum excitation wavelength was (398±5) nm and the mean of the resulting emission wavelength was (452±9) nm for all composite shades. The maximum fluorescence varied widely between 50 and 70,808 RFU with a mean of (28,948±15,380) RFU. The maximum for dentin was (9,308±3,676) RFU and enamel (5,467±506) RFU. The results showed that the analyzed composites fluoresced at nearly the same excitation-emission wavelengths combination but with varying optical intensities. These results provide useful reference for optimal fluorescence induction and may help to develop better fluorescence diagnostic methods needed for treatment, forensic investigations and epidemiological research/analyses.