RADIOMETRIC AND SPECTRORADIOMETRIC COMPARISON OF POWER OUTPUTS OF 5 VISIBLE LIGHT-CURING UNITS

The spectral distributions of the radiation emitted by five visible ra nge curing lights were measured spectroradiometrically. The light inte nsities in specific wavelength bands were evaluated by graphical integ ration. The results were then compared with the instantaneous readings of power density of all of the units as measured with a commercial cu ring radiometer. The data obtained by both techniques correlated well at narrower specific wavelengths (450-500 nm), which are assumed to be more effective for photopolymerization. This finding indicates that c uring radiometer is sensitive to the desired wavelengths and may be an effective tool to quickly characterize the curing efficiency of denta l photocuring sources in a clinical setting.