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Intraexaminer reliability of measurement of tooth color by spectrophotometry
Alexander J Hassel1, Engin Cevirgen, Zibandeh Balke
1Poliklinik für Zahnärztliche Prothetik, Heidelberg, Germany. alexander.hassel@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Objective:
To evaluate intraexaminer reliability in measurement of basic tooth color by use of a clinically applicable spectrophotometer.
Method And Materials:
Three examiners determined the L* (lightness), C* (chroma), and h* (hue) values and tooth color according to the Vita 3D-Master shade guide system (Vident), twice for 161 anterior teeth of 19 subjects by use of a spectrophotometer (Vita Easyshade 1, Vita Zahnfabrik). Between the 2 measurements on each tooth, the investigators had to completely remove the probe tip from the mouth. The reliability of the measurements was observed, and deviations between the 2 L*C*h* measurements, as well as DeltaEab for the measurements, were calculated.
Results:
Exact agreement of chosen shade tab according to the 3D-Master shade guide was achieved in 48% of cases. Mean DeltaL*, DeltaC*, and Deltah* for all examiners were 1.9 (SD 1.7), 1.3 (SD 1.3), and 0.5 degrees (SD 0.7 degrees), respectively. The maximum deviation was 9 for DeltaL*, 7 for DeltaC*, and 3 degrees for Deltah*. Mean DeltaEab for the measurements was 2.7 (SD 1.8, range 0 to 9.5).
Conclusion:
Intraexaminer reliability was usually acceptable, although a clinically relevant difference between the 2 measurements of an examiner was occasionally observed. This uncertainty should be borne in mind in clinical routine and in studies reporting changes in color, eg, studies of tooth bleaching.
