Discoloration of different esthetic restorative materials: A spectrophotometric evaluation

A crucial property of esthetic restorative materials is their long-term color stability. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the color stability of esthetic restorative materials (one microfilled flowable composite, one nanofilled composite, one nanoybrid composite, one microfilled composite, and one nanoybrid ormocer-based composite) after surface roughening with cola and exposure to different staining solutions (coffee and red wine).

All materials were polymerized into silicone rubber rings (2 mm × 6 mm × 8 mm) to obtain 150 specimens identical in size. Seventy-five specimens of Group A were first exposed to cola for 24 h, and then samples were immersed in coffee or red wine over a 28-day test period. A colorimetric evaluation, according to the CIE L*a*b* system, was performed at 7, 14, 21, 28 days. Shapiro-Wilk test and Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance were applied to assess significant differences among restorative materials. Means were compared with Scheffe's multiple comparison test at the 0.05 level of significance.

Specimens of Group A showed higher variations when compared with Group B's specimens (P < 0.05). After 28 days, the immersion protocols caused a clinically perceivable color change for all materials tested (P < 0.05). CeramX Universal and Admira Fusion showed the lowest ΔE variations (P < 0.05).

Staining beverages caused significant discolorations for all the materials tested. The first exposure to cola enhanced the subsequent staining with coffee or red wine. Nanohybrid composites reported the lowest color variations.