Color differences between artificial and natural teeth in removable partial denture wearers

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences between natural tooth color and that selected for artificial teeth in partial dentures at our department with a view to establishing criteria for obtaining greater harmonization between colors. The participants in this study comprised partial denture wearers visiting the Department of Prosthodontics, Tokyo Dental College Chiba Hospital, in whom both artificial teeth and natural teeth were present in the maxillary anterior tooth area. Natural tooth color was measured according to VITA classical shade guide number using a dental color measurement apparatus. Artificial tooth color in partial dentures produced at our department was investigated by referring to medical records. Color of 28 participants' natural teeth and 345 participants' artificial teeth was investigated. Differences in color distribution between the natural and artificial tooth were analyzed using the Fisher exact test. The most frequent color of natural tooth was C-type, accounting for 39%, followed by D- at 32%, A-at 22% and B-type at 7%. In terms of artificial tooth color, A-type was the most common (97%). The color distribution of natural teeth differed significantly from that of artificial teeth in partial dentures. These results suggest that artificial tooth color did not harmonize with the color of the natural teeth in partial denture wearers.