Influence of the curing method on the post-polymerization shrinkage stress of a composite resin

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different curing methods on the stress generated by the polymerization shrinkage of a restorative composite in two moments: immediately after light exposure and after 5 min. Photoactivation was performed using two different light sources: (1) xenon plasma arc (PAC) light (1,500 mW/cm2 - 3s) and (2) a quartz-tungsten-halogen (QTH) light with three light-curing regimens: continuous exposure (40 s at 800 mW/cm2 - CL); soft-start (10 s at 150 mW/cm2 and 30 s at 800 mW/cm2 - SS) and intermittent light [cycles of 4 s (2 s with light on at 600 mW/cm...