Curing Capacity of Band‐Bonding Resinous Adhesives Under 3D ‐Printed Molar Bands

AIM: To evaluate the curing efficiency of three resin composite adhesives applied beneath 3D-printed molar bands, by determining their degree of conversion (DC%) at different depths. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ). Degree of conversion (DC%) was measured at the top, middle, and bottom regions using attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Directly irradiated specimens served as controls. Statistical analysis of DC% values was performed with regression modelling at a 5% level. RESULTS: A reduction in conversion beneath the bands compared to non-banded controls was seen, which was dependent on both the adhesive type and the region. For BLB, equally low DC% values were found for banded and non-banded specimens across all regions. Banded OBU specimens had significantly lower DC% compared to non-banded controls at all regions. Finally, TRP banded specimens had significantly lower DC% compared to non-banded controls at the middle and bottom regions, but not at the top region. CONCLUSIONS: Curing capacity of band adhesives under 3D-printed bands is material-dependent. Blue-shaded OBU and dual-cured BLB showed more uniform conversion, whereas white-shaded TRP exhibited significant depth variations. However, conversion of the adhesives tested under 3D-printed metallic bands was acceptable when a high-intensity light-curing unit was used for an extended irradiation time for orthodontic applications (30 s).