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Spectroradiometry Applied to Dental

Composite Light Curing
a

Fabrcio Augusto De Lima & Luciano Bachmann

Faculdade de Filosofia, Cincias e Letras de Ribeiro Preto,

Universidade de So Paulo , Ribeiro Preto , So Paulo , Brasil
Accepted author version posted online: 17 Apr 2012.Published
online: 04 May 2012.

To cite this article: Fabrcio Augusto De Lima & Luciano Bachmann (2012) Spectroradiometry
Applied to Dental Composite Light Curing, Applied Spectroscopy Reviews, 47:4, 256-271, DOI:
10.1080/05704928.2011.649514
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Applied Spectroscopy Reviews, 47:256271, 2012

Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 0570-4928 print / 1520-569X online
DOI: 10.1080/05704928.2011.649514

Spectroradiometry Applied to Dental

Composite Light Curing
FABRICIO AUGUSTO DE LIMA AND LUCIANO BACHMANN

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Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciencias e Letras de Ribeirao Preto,

Universidade de Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brasil
Abstract: In the literature the irradiance of light-curing units (LCUs) is usually measured and expressed in watt per square centimeter (Wcm2) or as spectral irradiance
with arbitrary units. However, neither situation measures how the broadband really
interacts with the substrate. For the correct dosimetry of such sources, it is necessary
to evaluate the spectral distribution of their irradiance, also called spectral irradiance,
which has units of Wcm2nm1. Here, the theory of optical dosimetry with respect to
dental light-cure composite resins is revised; moreover, experimental determination of
the optical dosimetry of composite resins cured with light-emitting diode (LED) sources
is reported, including all of the substrates participating in the curing processes, especially the adhesive agent, as well as adjacent tissues like the enamel and dentine. A
review of the literature showed that a casual use of different radiometric quantities and
units is observed. This encompasses many types of mistakes and gives rise to dubious
interpretation of the published results. We strongly recommend that interdisciplinary
coworkers solve this kind of problem before publication and provide additional reliability and accordance with internationally assigned radiometric quantities and units
as published by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures and the International
Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).
Keywords: Spectral irradiance, effective irradiance, LCUs, photopolimerization, composite resin

Introduction
For a good restorative procedure to be accomplished, not only the efficient conversion
of double bonds during photopolymerization is important, but the mechanical properties,
biocompatibility, and final resin color are also essential variables for the proposal of a
new protocol employing new light-curing units (LCUs) (1). Therefore, it is important to
consider LCUs and photoinitiators during establishment of a restorative procedure; this is
necessary to match the spectral emission of the LCU with the absorption properties of the
composite resin.
The most commonly available LCUs for dental applications are halogen bulbs and
light-emitting diode (LED) systems, but plasma arc and laser systems have also been
evaluated and applied to resin photopolymerization. The measurement of LCU irradiance

Address correspondence to Luciano Bachmann, Departamento de Fsica, Faculdade de Filosofia

Ciencias e Letras de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. dos Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirao
Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil. E-mail: bachmann@ffclrp.usp.br

256

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Spectroradiometry of Light Curing

257

has been extensively described in the literature (25) and correlated with the previously
mentioned essential variables for a good restorative procedure.
The irradiance of LCUs is usually measured in watt per square meter (Wm2) or
as another variant unit milliwatt per square centimeter (mWcm2), which is the most
commonly employed unit in dental LCU radiometry. This radiometry unit can also be
transformed into Joules per second and per square centimeter (Js1cm2), because W is the
same as (Js1). This kind of transformationthat is, (W/cm2) or (W/m2)can also be used
to express irradiance, also called power density. The energy distribution over a specific time
and area is a suitable measurement for comparison of different LCUs, but mistakes can
be made because different LCUs do not emit radiation uniformly over the whole spectral
range. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate the spectral distribution of the irradiance, also
designated spectral irradiance, with a unit of watt per square centimeter per nanometer
(Wcm2 nm1). As an example, Price et al. evaluated the spectral irradiance of the violet
(405 nm) and blue (460 nm) spectral ranges of different LCUs (6).
Additional units can be employed to measure the spectral irradiance as a unusual but
correct unit (cm2nm1s1), which represents the photon count per square centimeter, per
nanometer, and per second. Another unusual, but equally correct, quantity is the spectral radiant power with unit (Wnm1), which corresponds to the power emitted for each nanometer.
The surface hardness of composite resins irradiated with 10 different LED LCUs is an
example of the effects that are dependent on spectral irradiance (4). It has been observed
that the surface hardness of composite resins strongly depends not only on irradiance but
also on the spectral emission. This means that the observed results are spectrally dependent.
Torno et al. (4) showed the great importance of assessing the spectral irradiance of all of
the LCUs employed in dental composite light-curing experiments.
The spectral irradiance can differ drastically when one compares halogen and LED
LCUs or slightly if one compares different photopolymerizing devices with similar halogen
lamps (7), so these sources cannot be compared through the irradiance (Wm2) that each
of them emits. The irradiance is not an adequate parameter for comparison of two sources
with different spectral irradiances. For a quantitative comparison of LCUs, first the spectral
irradiance of the LCUs must be determined. Moreover, to quantify the spectral irradiance
that actually interacts with a substrate we must determine the effective spectral irradiance,
as will be mentioned in the theory reviewed in the following paragraphs.
Spectral irradiance will measure how a broadband LCU with defined spectral emission
interacts with a substrate having an attenuation coefficient or molar absorption coefficient. The effective spectral irradiance with units of watt per cubic meter per nanometer
(Wm3nm1) originates from the product between the source emission and the substrate
absorption spectrum. To obtain this value, we introduce the following review of the optical
dosimetry theory.

Theory
To conduct such proposed dosimetry for LCUs and different substrates, we shall consider a
broadband source with a determined power emission P (, z) interacting with a substrate that
has absorption coefficient a (), scattering coefficient s (), and attenuation coefficient
(), which are wavelength dependent. Figure 1 represents this interaction. Figure 1a
illustrates the irradiation of a substrate block with transversal area A, thickness t, and
optical absorption depth ().
The power of a source beam P (, z) going through the substrate depends on the
distance propagation (z) and source wavelength () but does not depend on the transversal

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258

F. A. de Lima and L. Bachmann

Figure 1. a) Substrate irradiated with a source of power P(,z) over an area A, resulting in a
spectral irradiance Isp(,z). b) Representation of the power decrease into the substrate, indicating
its dependence on tissue depth (z). The radiation penetrates a distance () into the tissue with
thickness t. This optical absorption depth () is the inverse of the attenuation coefficient ().

distance. One can assume that the power decrease closely follows the Beer-Lambert law,
so that for a constant transversal area (A) there exists the following equation:
P (, z) = P0 e()z ,

(1)

where () is the attenuation coefficient of the substrate block.

The distance where the power falls to P0 /e is defined as the optical absorption depth
and is denominated as (). This quantity corresponds to the inverse of the attenuation
coefficient and represents the effective distance that the radiation penetrates:
=

1
()

(2)

The power density, Irradiance I (z) or spectral irradiance Isp (, z) can be described as:
Isp (, z) =

dP (, z)
,
dA

(3)

where A is the area with which the beam interacts and where the power P (, z) is distributed.
Hence, the Beer-Lambert law can be rewritten as:
Isp (, z) = Isp,0 e()z

(4)

When the LCU radiation interacts with the composite resin, the adhesive agent, and the
enamel and dentine tissues, the spectral irradiance Isp (, z) of this source can be spectrally
weighed by multiplication of Isp (, z) and the attenuation coefficient () of the respective
substrate. However, for a restorative procedure, the beam interacts simultaneously with the
resin, the adhesive, and the tissues. Consequently, a more detailed calculus is necessary for
such a complex system. For now, let us consider the irradiation, at z = 0, of a homogenous
substrate in a situation of monolayer. So, for a substrate with an attenuation coefficient, the
calculus is described as follows:
Ief,sp () = Isp (, z = 0)(),
where the Ief,sp () represents the effective spectral irradiance.

(5)

Spectroradiometry of Light Curing

259

This term has unit of Wcm3nm1, resulting from the product of (Wcm2nm1)
and (cm1), and corresponds to the power deposited over a volume for each wavelength.
Integration over the whole spectral range where the source emits and the substrate absorbs
yields the effective irradiance Ief , which is no longer wavelength dependent:


Ief =

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Ief,sp ()d =

Isp (, z = 0)()d

(6)

Calculating the effective irradiance by the integration, one now has the unit of (Wcm3),
which represents the power distributed in the volume where the radiation has penetrated,
considering a transversal irradiated area A and optical absorption depth .
Finally, the effective radiant exposure can be calculated as:


Hef =

Ief dt,

(7)

t0

with units of (Jcm3). This term represents the energy distributed over the volume, and
(t t0 ) is the time during which the substrate is exposed to the source. For a source that
irradiates homogeneously over time, this equation can be rewritten in a simpler form:
Hef = Ief t

(8)

Objective
The present work reviews the optical dosimetry of composite resins cured with broadband
sources such as lamps and LED sources. Considering the importance of power distribution
over the irradiated volume and not only over the irradiated superficial area, we have applied
this concept to dental light-cure composite resins on the basis of the optical dosimetry
theory reviewed above.
Additional experimental data were achieved for resin and tissues irradiated with an
LED source, aiming to obtain experimental data that can exemplify the reviewed theory
and be compared to literature results.

Experimental Methodology
Four resins, one adhesive agent, and specimens of bovine enamel and dentine were evaluated
as substrates; an LED system was employed as LCU. The attenuation in the substrate was
measured in a transmittance spectrometer without discriminating between the absorption
and scattering coefficients, and the spectral irradiance of the LCU was recorded by means
of a CCD spectroradiometer (RPS 900R, International Light Technologies Inc., Peabody,
MA). The methodology employed to measure the attenuation coefficient was not adequate
for determination of the absolute value, so more appropriate equipment must be employed,
as discussed in the literature (8) for dental composites with high scattering coefficients.
But the proposed theory in this work is not impaired due to the inadequately employed
methodology used to measure the attenuation coefficient.

260

F. A. de Lima and L. Bachmann

Table 1
Final thickness (m) of the resin samples purchased from Vigodent S/A (FM) and 3M
ESPE (3M) manufacturers
Sample
1
2
3

FM-A1

FM-A3

FM-C2

3M-A3

152
170
141

185
142
120

167
53
143

171
213
115

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Sample Preparation
Four composite resins were utilized, namely, three Fill Magic resins in the color patterns
A1, A3, and C2 (Vigodent S/A, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and one Filtek Z250 (3M ESPE, St.
Paul, MN) resin in the pattern color A3. For resin preparation, a small volume was selected
and spread out over a circular CaF2 window with 2.54-cm diameter. The resin was flattened
with the aid of a solid steel cylinder, to provide an approximate thickness of 100 m; the
final thickness was measured by means of a digital micrometer (MDCLite 293 Series,
Mitutoyo, Sao Paulo, Brazil) with resolution of 1 m. Single values of the final thickness
are listed in Table 1. Three samples were measured for each resin model.
The adhesive agent was Prime & Bond 2.1 (Dentsply, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). To
measure the attenuation coefficient of the adhesive, a drop containing 35 L of the adhesive
was placed over the CaF2 window. This liquid was spread out over the window, and
its superficial area (A) was measured. The thickness (t) was not measured directly but
calculated considering that an adhesive film with a cylindrical shape was produced. Because
the volume of the liquid and its superficial area (A) were known, its thickness (t) was easily
computed. Two samples were obtained with an average thickness of 106 m.
For the enamel and dentine tissues, samples from bovine incisors were selected and
sliced with a precision cutoff machine (Minitom, Struers, Bollerup, Denmark) equipped
with a diamond disk, yielding a thickness of 400 m. The slices were ground down with 600mesh silicon carbide sandpaper to a thickness of around 50 m, because thickness values
larger than this would produce higher absorbance and greater noise in the transmittance measurement. A final polish was carried out with 1,200- and 4,000-mesh silicon carbide sandpapers. Several specimens of the enamel and dentine were prepared, but the majority of the
samples presented unsatisfactory spectral signal-to-noise ratios due to small surface cracks
and high thickness values. One sample without cracks and with better signal-to-noise values
was selected, with thicknesses of 53 m for the dentine and of 53 m for the enamel samples. These values were used for computation of the attenuation coefficient (Equation 11).
Transmittance Measurement
The transmittance spectroscopy was conducted with the four resins (n = 3), the adhesive
(n = 2), the enamel (n = 1), and the dentine (n = 1) samples. An ultraviolet-visible (UVVis) spectrometer (Beckman DU640, Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, LA) operating in the
1901100 nm spectral range, with a resolution of 1 nm, was employed. The spectrometer provided the absorbance value, which was correlated with the transmitted power as
described in Eq. (9). The sample holder was adapted to receive the CaF2 window (2.54
cm diameter) for the resin and adhesive samples, and a homemade holder was specifically
designed for the sliced samples. The background transmittance was measured without the

Spectroradiometry of Light Curing

261

sample, only with the CaF2 window or with the slices holder. This measurement was called
P0 (), according to Eq. (1). After placement of the sample, the transmittance (transmitted
power P0 (, z = t)) was acquired again. For this specific case, the beam penetration corresponded to the sample thickness (z = t). Following Eq. (1), the values can be replaced,
and the attenuation coefficient can be isolated as:
P (, z = t) = P0 e()t ;
considering the absorbance as


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P (, t)
A () = log
P0 ()

A () = log (e()t ) = () t [log (e)],

(9)
(10)

one achieves the attenuation coefficient as a function of the absorbance value and sample
thickness:
() =

A ()
0.43 t

(11)

Once experimentally measured thickness values and the absorbance spectrum of each
sample were obtained, the attenuation coefficient was computed.
Light Source
The LCU used for this study was an LED system (Ultralume LED 5, Ultradent Products,
Inc., South Jordan, UT). The source had an attached tip with a 1.3-cm2 transversal area. The
system was employed with the LED 5 standard curing lens. The technical information provided by the manufacturer about the LED emission was a wavelength range of 370500 nm
and light irradiance greater than 800 mWcm2. Curing occurs with 10, 20, 30, and 40 s
irradiation times.
Spectroradiometer and Spectral Irradiance Measurement
The spectral irradiance was measured with a portable CCD spectroradiometer equipped
with a 2,048-pixel CCD. This equipment was calibrated for the spectral range from 220.0
to 1,050.0 nm and adjusted to a spectral resolution of 0.5 nm. For acquisition of the
radiation, the system consisted of a 2-m-long optical fiber with 1-mm diameter and a quartz
sensor with cosine correction. The spectral irradiance was measured with the sensor in
contact with the LED source tip. The spectroradiometer was operated with the SpectrIlight
version 1.3 software (International Light Technologies Inc., Peabody, MA) and the spectral
irradiance values were given in (Wcm2nm1).
Attenuation Coefficient and Effective Irradiance Calculation
The resolution of the UV-Vis spectrometer used to acquire the attenuation coefficient was
1 nm, and the resolution of the CCD spectroradiometer employed for acquisition of the
spectral irradiance was 0.5 nm. For effective irradiance computation, the spectral irradiance
of all of the samples was interpolated to produce a data set with the same number of data
acquired in the attenuation coefficient spectra.

262

F. A. de Lima and L. Bachmann

First, the spectral irradiance at surface Isp (, z = 0) was multiplied by the attenuation coefficient () of the substrate. Both data sets were acquired experimentally. This
multiplication results in the effective spectral irradiance Ief,sp (), which has a unit of
(mWcm3nm1). Integrating this spectrum over 250 and 650 nm, one can compute the
effective irradiance Ief of the LED source for each substrate, obtaining a radiometric term
given in (mWcm3). This computation was applied for all of the samples: the four resins,
the adhesive agent, and the bovine enamel and dentine specimens. All of the computed data
were obtained with the aid of Origin 8.0 software (OriginLab, Northampton, UK).

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Experimental Results
The LED source emits a spectral irradiance Isp () that can be observed in Figure 2 and
will interact with the substrate at (z = 0). During the composite resin curing, the LED
radiation interacts with different substrates, namely, the composite resin, adhesive, and
adjacent tissues, not only with the photoinitiator.
As described before, the optical properties of substrates are characterized by the absorption a () and scattering s () coefficients. Both coefficients can be summarized as
one attenuation coefficient, which will be denominated (). For this work, absorption
is not differentiated from scattering, so the attenuation coefficient of the substrates was
employed during all of the experimental work.
The attenuation spectra of the four different resins can be seen in Figure 3a. Despite the
differences, assigned to the manufacturers, it is possible to observe similar characteristics
for all of the evaluated resins (A1, A3, and C2). In the visible spectral range, C2 displayed
a higher attenuation value, as expected due to the darker color of C-resins, compared to
A3 and A1. In the evaluated ultraviolet spectral range (350400 nm), more pronounced
differences were detected between the resins, probably due to the chemical composition

Figure 2. Spectral irradiance between 350 nm and 650 nm of a LED system employed for resin
curing. The emission peak is at 460 nm, with FWHM of 35 nm.

263

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Spectroradiometry of Light Curing

Figure 3. a) Mean attenuation coefficients (n = 3) of four resins in the 350650 nm spectral range.
A similar behavior can be observed for all the resins indicating a slightly value for the C2 resin in the
visible spectral range 400650 nm. b) Attenuation coefficient of the adhesive agent between 250 nm
and 650 nm. The strong absorption band is positioned at 308 nm, with FWHM of 25 nm.

employed by the manufacturers. For a more specific value of absorption and scattering
coefficient about resins, see Chen et al. (8).
The attenuation spectrum of the adhesive agent over the 250650 nm spectral range is
displayed in Figure 3b. This substrate was dominated by one absorption band positioned at
308 nm, with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 25 nm.
The enamel attenuation coefficient is depicted in Figure 4a, where the spectra of one
sample over the 350650 nm range are presented. The dentine tissue was also evaluated.

F. A. de Lima and L. Bachmann

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264

Figure 4. Attenuation coefficient in the 350650 nm spectral range for a) enamel and b) dentine
samples. The attenuation coefficient increases for lower wavelength.

Figure 4b illustrates the attenuation coefficient of one sample of dentine with similar characteristics, as shown before for the enamel tissue. For more accurate values for absorption
and coefficient of dental tissues, see Fried et al. (9) and Spitzer and ten Bosch (10).
To spectrally weigh the LED emission and measure how this radiation interacts with the
substrates, the effective spectral irradiance Ief,sp () was calculated for all of the substrates

265

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Spectroradiometry of Light Curing

Figure 5. a) Effective spectral irradiance of resins irradiated with LED. Despite the little variation,
a mean value near 100 mWcm3nm1 for the peak is observed. b) Effective spectral irradiance of
the adhesive irradiated with LED. The mean value is very low, near 0.4 mWcm3nm1 at 275 nm
(absorption resin band) and near 0.1 mWcm3nm1 at 460 nm (LED emission peak).

F. A. de Lima and L. Bachmann

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266

Figure 6. a) Effective spectral irradiance of the enamel irradiated with LED. The enamel samples
gave mean values near 450 mWcm3nm1 for the peak. b) Effective spectral irradiance of the dentine
irradiated with LED. The mean value was near 200 mWcm3nm1 for the peak.

as described in Eq. (5):

Ief,sp () = Isp (, z = 0)()
The effective spectral irradiance for the composite resins is represented in Figure 5a;
Figure 5b shows the spectral irradiance for the adhesive agent. Figures 6a and 6b display the

Spectroradiometry of Light Curing

267

Table 2
Effective irradiance Ief for all of the evaluated substrates over the 250650 nm spectral
range. Ief was obtained by integration of the effective spectral irradiance as described by
Eq. (6), and Hef was calculated according to Eq. (8)

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Substrate
3M resin
A3
Fill Magic resin
C2
A1
A3
Adhesive
Enamel
Dentine

Effective irradiance
Ief (Wcm3)

Effective exposure Hef (kJcm3)

For 10 s

For 30 s

4,572

45.7

137.1

5,628
4,562
3,990
42
20,135
9,132

56.3
45.6
39.9
0.42
201.3
91.3

168.8
136.9
119.7
1.26
604.0
274.0

effective spectral irradiance for the enamel and dentine tissues, respectively. It is possible
to note that the high attenuation coefficient observed in the case of the enamel and the
dentine produced a high peak value in the effective spectral irradiance; otherwise, the
noncoincident LED emission and adhesive absorption band produced a very low effective
spectral irradiance value.
Integration over the 250650 nm range furnishes the effective irradiance Ief according
to Eq. (6). The values are summarized in Table 2.
The employed LCU allowed the use of different exposure times. According to Eq. (8),
it is possible to measure the effective exposure of each substrate during different time
periods:
The effective exposure of all of the substrates can be evaluated in the last columns of
Table 2 for 10 and 30 s of irradiation time.

Discussion
The use of different variations of the quantity assigned to power density, such as irradiance,
and spectral irradiance and the consequent use of different units leads to a great confusion
in the literature, as summarized in Table 3. In this table, different incorrect and correct
quantities are employed for nonspectral and spectral measurements of LCUs. The present
work is not a systematic review of the use of spectroradiometric quantities and units
employed in light-curing resin, so it is possible that some works about this subject were not
considered in our review.
To reduce the casual use of radiometric quantities, different publications have attempted
to guide scientific work. A first publication was produced by the Bureau International des
Poids et Mesures (11); a second approach of employing the nomenclature for quantities and
corresponding units is advocated by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
(IUPAC) (12).
Spectral irradiance is largely employed in the study of dental composite light curing
and can be found in the literature in a variety of forms. Considering only the correct
examples, the most used name is the relative spectral irradiance, with arbitrary units (7, 8,
13, 14) is found. This spectrum can be acquired by using a noncalibrated system. Another

268

F. A. de Lima and L. Bachmann

Table 3
Summary of quantities with the respective units employed for nonspectral and spectral
measurements. See the text for a critical discussion about the use of each quantity and unit.

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Nonspectral measurement
Irradiance (Wm2)
Power density (mW/cm2)
Radiant power (mW)
Intensity (W/cm2)
(undesirable)
Intensity (mW/cm2)
(undesirable)
Power density (mW/cm2)
Intensity (mW/cm2)
(undesirable)
Power density (mW/cm2)
Light intensity (mW/cm2)
(undesirable)
Irradiance (mW/cm2)
Irradiance (W/m2)
Power density (mW/cm2)
Power (mW/cm2)
(incorrect)Photon flux
(photons/cm2s)

Irradiance (mW/cm2)
Irradiance (mWcm2)

Irradiance (mWcm2)
Power density (mW/cm2)

Spectral measurement

Reference

Spectral irradiance (Wm2nm1)

Intensity (a.u.) (undesirable)
Spectral radiant power (mW/nm)
Light intensity (W) (incorrect)

This work
(19)
(6)
(20)

Irradiance (mW/cm2) (incorrect)

(16)

Spectrum emission (a.u.)

Photon count (incorrect)

(13)
(21)

Intensity (a.u.)

(14)
(22)

Irradiance (mW/cm2) and wavelength

(cm1) (incorrect)
Irradiance with unit of (W/m2) in a
spectrum (incorrect)
Spectral power (mW) (incorrect)
Emission spectra (photons/cm2s1)
(incorrect)

(4)

Spectral irradiance (mW/cm2)

(incorrect)
Spectral irradiance (W/m2/nm)
Flux (mW) and irradiance (mWcm2)
(incorrect)
Irradiance (W/m2/nm) (undesirable);
spectral radiant flux (W/m2/nm)
Irradiance with unit of (mWcm2) in a
spectrum (incorrect)
Relative intensity

(17)
(23)
(2)

(5)
(15)
(3)
(24)
(18)
(7)

example is the spectral irradiance with units (Wcm2nm1) aquired by a calibrated system
(15). A further approach is to use the emission spectrum with photons per square centimeter
and per second (cm2nm1s1), called spectral photon flux. All of the dosimetry of our
experimental data was developed using the LCU spectral irradiance as Isp () with units
(Wcm2nm1), which represents the power distributed over an area for each wavelength.
Measuring LCU emission as the relative spectral irradiance as proposed by some
authors does not allow measurement of the effective irradiance, as advocated in the
reviewed theory. For a quantitative evaluation of the spectral irradiance that really interacts with the substrate, it is necessary to determine the effective spectral irradiance
Ief,sp () = Isp (, z = 0)() and integrate this spectrum, which provides the effective

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Spectroradiometry of Light Curing

269

irradiance Ief . This measurement is not found in the literature on the light curing of dental
composites, as mentioned in the section on theory.
Table 3 shows the different names and units employed to measure nonspectral quantities
(first column), such as power, irradiance, and power density, as well as spectral quantities
(second column), such as spectral irradiance, spectral photon flux, spectral radiant power,
and relative intensity of several LCUs. In the last column, the references are arranged in
chronological order.
The quantities and units in Table 3 were extracted from the references and can be
classified as wrongly, undesirably, and correctly employed. The former two are explicitly
mentioned, in order to avoid confusing the reader with the correct use of these quantities.
We have considered the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures and IUPAC guidelines
to classify the quantities and units as incorrect or correct.
A common mistake is the use of irradiance instead of spectral irradiance in graphs
that measure LCU emission; in the same graph the unit (Wm2) is used instead the spectral
irradiance unit (Wm2nm1) (3, 4, 8, 1618). The correct approach is to use spectral
irradiance (Wm2nm1) or spectral photon flux (cm2nm1s1).
Some works suppress the (nm) from the spectral irradiance unit in a graph that measures
LCU emission (2, 5), using only the unit corresponding to the irradiance (Wm2). In a first
analysis, this subtraction is not so dramatic but, according the reviewed theory, by integrating
this spectrum over all of the wavelengths a strange unit (Wm2nm) for the irradiance is
achieved; that is, suppressing (nm) from the unit is incorrect. Another improper use is to
employ (cm1) as a unit for wavelength, use photon count as a relative measurement.
These errors were observed in some works.
According to the IUPAC, intensity is the traditional term for photon flux, irradiance, or
radiant power and, in terms of an object exposed to radiation, the term should now be used
only for qualitative descriptions, and it is also important to indicate the units as arbitrary
units, abbreviated as a.u.

Final Considerations
The present work reviews the theory about spectroradiometry and the literature on lightcuring resins. It is noted that the effective spectral irradiance of an LED source furnishes
different values for different substrates. In the same way, different sources (LED or halogen)
will furnish different spectral irradiances for the same substrate.
According to the literature review presented in this work, a casual use of different radiometric quantities and units can be observed. This includes all kind of mistakes and gives
rise to dubious interpretation of the published results. We strongly recommend interdisciplinary collaborations between biological areas and physics or engineering laboratories to
solve this kind of problem and provide additional reliability and accordance with internationally assigned radiometric quantities and units as published by the Bureau International
des Poids et Mesures and IUPAC.

Acknowledgment
This work was partly supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e
Tecnologico (CNPq) and Fundaca o de Amparo a` Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP
Process number 2003/13489-6 and 2008/09797-0). The authors thank Cynthia Maria de
Campos Prado Manso for linguistic advice.

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