Investigating working practices of dentists on shade taking: Evidence based good practice versus observed practice

Area of Science:

• Dental materials science
• Clinical dentistry
• Evidence-based practice

Background:

• Accurate shade selection is crucial for successful dental restorations.
• Current UK dentists' shade-taking practices may not align with established guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the shade-taking working practices of UK dentists.
• To assess adherence to evidence-based guidelines in clinical shade selection.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey utilizing a questionnaire with quantitative and qualitative components.
• Inclusion of two clinical scenarios (vignettes) to assess shade-taking steps and prescription practices.

Main Results:

• 170 questionnaires were analyzed; 98.9% used manual shade-taking methods.
• Adherence to guidelines varied: 57.6% for vignette 1, 42.9% for vignette 2, and 26.5% for both.
• Specialist Professional status and frequent daylight use predicted better practice.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of dentists may rely on guesswork, impacting communication and restoration outcomes.
• There is a need for improved shade-taking techniques and integration of training into dental curricula.
• Accurate laboratory prescriptions are vital for shade-matching success.