Dental color matching: A comparison between visual and instrumental methods

Area of Science:

• * Dental Materials Science
• * Restorative Dentistry
• * Colorimetry

Background:

• * Accurate dental shade selection is crucial for aesthetic outcomes in restorative dentistry.
• * Visual shade matching is subjective and prone to operator variability.
• * Instrumental color measurement aims to improve accuracy and reproducibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To compare the agreement rate and color difference (ΔE*ab) of three dental color-measuring devices (Shadepilot, CrystalEye, ShadeVision) with visual shade identification.
• * To assess the clinical acceptability of color differences obtained through instrumental and visual methods.

Main Methods:

• * Three dental color-measuring devices (Shadepilot (SP), CrystalEye (CE), ShadeVision (SV)) were used to measure tooth color.
• * Two operators performed visual shade selection using VITA classic shade tabs.
• * Statistical analyses included agreement rate (%), color difference (ΔE*ab), McNemar test, Student's t-test, and Bland Altman scatterplots.

Main Results:

• * Agreement rates with visual shade determination were: SP 56.3%, CE 49.0%, SV 51.3%.
• * Color differences (ΔE*ab) between visually and instrumentally selected shades and natural teeth frequently exceeded the threshold for acceptability.
• * For Shadepilot, ΔE*ab values fell within a range of clinical acceptability when comparing both methods.

Conclusions:

• * Current dental color-measuring devices show variable agreement with visual shade matching.
• * Achieving clinically acceptable color matches remains a challenge, with significant color differences often observed.
• * Further advancements in dental colorimetry are needed to consistently meet aesthetic demands.