Abstract
A study was conducted to compare the degree of resin polymerization achievable using conventional visible light techniques and argon lasing. High performance liquid chromatography was used to extract unpolymerized resin from microfilled and small particle composite resin samples following photoactivation with visible light and the argon laser. It was determined that a significantly greater degree of microfilled resin polymerization was achievable following argon lasing compared to exposure to conventional visible light techniques. Although the small particle composite resin samples were polymerized as well as, or slightly better, with the argon laser, the differences were found to be insignificant. As a result, the argon laser should be considered a potentially advantageous method of initiating the polymerization of dental composite resin restorations.