Effect of polymerization time on residual monomer release in dental composite: In vitro study

Light activated resin-based composites are the most accepted and used materials among clinicians. The aim of this study is to determine the amount of residual monomer released from nanofiller composite resins for different polymerization times and storage periods in vitro. To this purpose, Tetric Ceram (Ivoclar, Liechtenstein), Clearfil Majesty Posterior (Kuraray, Japan), Grandio (VOCO, Germany), and Filtek Ultimate Universal (3M, USA) were used as nanofiller resin composites samples. Four groups (n = 40, diameter: 5 mm, thickness: 2 mm) of each material were fabricated, and each group was exposed to three different polymerization time (10, 20 and 40 sec). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure the amount of monomers released over 1, 15, and 30 days. The highest amount of monomer release was seen in Tetric EvoCream composite, while the least monomer release was seen in Clearfil Majesty composite. Regardless of the polymerization time, material, or storage period, the highest amount of eluted monomer was Bis-GMA. It is observed that there is no statistically significant difference between various polymerization times. Monomer release reached its highest level on the 15th day and decreased on the 30th day for all composites. Polymerization time did not affect the monomer release from the composites, but the type of the monomers and concentration of the filler used in the composites affected the amount of released monomers. The use of TEGDMA (co)monomer reduced the monomer release.