comparative evaluation of microhardness and degree of polymerization of dual-cure resin cement on luting composite resin endocrowns of 5.5mm and 7.5mm thicknesses: an in-vitro study

Background and aim: the aim of this in vitro study was to assess and compare the microhardness and degree of polymerization of dual-cure resin cement used for luting composite resin endocrowns using the vickers microhardness test and fourier transform infrared (ftir) spectroscopy.material and methods: the study comprises two test groups and one control group. the test groups comprised composite resin endocrowns of 5.5mm and 7.5mm thickness. the dual-cured resin cement was used to lute the endocrowns. as a control group, 2 mm-thick cured resin cement was used. the cured resin cement was subjected to testing using vickers microhardness and ftir spectroscopy.results: the mean microhardness across all groups was 7.4663, with an overall standard deviation of 0.30963 and a standard error of 0.05653. the anova test results revealed a significant difference in microhardness values (f = 180.665, p < 0.001). the mean degree of polymerization across all groups was 7.8723, with an overall standard deviation of 0.35528 and a standard error of 0.06487. the anova test results revealed a significant difference in the degree of polymerization between the groups (f = 144.873, p < 0.001).conclusions: the study’s statistical analysis was evident through  anova and post hoc tukey’s tests. the sufficient sample size for each group enhanced the statistical power and allowed for a more accurate variability assessment.