1-in-4 curing lights are NOT compliant! Do you know which ones?

Did you know that 1-in-4 curing lights do NOT output the energy (within a range of +-20%) that the light manufacturer says it should? With an average of 4 lights per clinic, that’s at least 25% of your DSO’s light-cured procedures at risk for under/over-curing.

Just take a look at this diagram taken from over 100,000 Bluelight-vetted light tests at thousands of clinics around the world, representing 158 models of lights from 82 manufacturers. The measurements were done using Bluelight’s advanced light measurement technology, which has been shown in scientific studies to be the most accurate available to clinics ([1-2]).

Why +-20%?

That margin is considered significant by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, which is an independent, non-government organization that develops standards to ensure the quality, safety and efficiency of products, services, and systems such as dental curing lights. The standard says that lights should have a measured output within +-20% of the manufacturer’s stated output when light measurements are taken in accordance with the standard. When lights are outside this safety margin, you’ll likely need to extend curing times (if the output is below 80% of the stated value) or manage heat differently (if the output is above 120% of the stated value).

On the above diagram, the shaded area shows the percentage of measurements that fall in that +-20% range for lights used in the normal or standard mode. 18.5% of lights fall to the left of the shaded area, which means their output is less than 80% of the manufacturer’s stated value. These lights are particularly problematic, because the materials they cure are likely to be under-cured if curing times are not adjusted accordingly. Under-curing results in early failure of composite fillings, due to discoloration, fracture, and debonding.

What’s worrying is that most dental teams don’t know the output of each curing light they use. They assume their lights are working as manufacturers say they should. An August 2020 survey of almost 400 practitioners showed that over 50% of clinics never or rarely test their lights [3]. This means that dentists and their teams can’t make the necessary adjustments to curing times, simply because they are not aware there’s a problem in the first place. At Bluelight, we’re passionate about changing this, because knowledge is power. Our knowledge is about light power and how that power cures materials.

Sometimes the fix for low light output is quite simple; a low measurement doesn’t always mean the light is broken or needs replacement. Cleaning debris off the light tip can make a huge difference and bring the light output back into the +-20% range. If use of infection control barriers is the issue, they can often be adjusted to minimize the impact they have on a light’s output. But how would anyone know to do these things if they didn’t test their lights regularly?

The financial impact can be quite large. Over 50% of a dentist’s income depends on light curing [4]. That means that for a clinic with annual revenue of $1m, $500,000 will depend on their curing lights. If there’s a 18.5% probability that a light’s output is less than 80% of what it should be, then an estimated $500,000 x 18.5% = $92,500 of revenue is unnecessarily at risk because of under-curing, which leads to premature failures. However, if the clinic tests all their lights regularly and adjusts curing times, then this risk is eliminated.

The good news is that Bluelight offers an easy way to accomplish this. For more information check out https://www.bluelightanalytics.com/solutions

[1] Palin et al., (2019) Effect of Light Tip Optical Design on Dental Radiometer Accuracy. Dent Mat 35:e28.

[2] Shortall et al., (2015). Robust spectrometer-based methods for characterizing radiant exitance of dental LED light curing units. Dental Materials, 31(4), 339-350.

[3] National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. Quick Poll Results: Status of Light Curing. May 2021. https://www.nationaldentalpbrn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Quick.Poll_.Light_.Curing.Results.2021-04-02.pdf

[4] American Dental Association. "Dental fees: results from the 2013 Survey of Dental Fees." Chicago (IL): ADA (2014).