E07.
Oxygen inhibition can be beneficial when light cured resin is used. Discuss the
validity of that statement.
Oxygen inhibition can be both a disadvantage and an advantage. It is a
disadvantage when the final layer of a composite has been cured. The surface is
now oxygen inhibited and will leach more monomer. In other words, this surface
has inferior properties and should be removed by polishing away the top layer.
However, oxygen inhibition can also be advantageous. For example, during
composite build up, layers up to 2 mm in thickness are placed and cured. During
this cure, the surface will be covered with an oxygen-inhibited layer. The
benefit with this layer is that when the next layer is placed, the
oxygen-inhibited layer can continue and react with the new layer, thus forming a
good bond between the two layers. If there would be a complete cure of the first
layer, the second layer would have no reactive units to attach to.
