Color match using instrumental and visual methods for single, group, and multi-shade composite resins

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Esthetic Dentistry
• Color Science in Restorations

Background:

• Accurate shade matching is crucial for esthetic dental restorations.
• Evaluating the shade matching capabilities of different composite resin materials is essential for clinical success.
• Bi-layered acrylic teeth are commonly used as standards for shade matching evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To instrumentally and visually assess the shade match of three composite resin materials (Omnichroma, Tetric EvoCeram, TPH Spectra ST) to bi-layered acrylic teeth.
• To compare the shade matching performance of single-shade and multi-shade composite systems.
• To determine the influence of different shades (A2, B1, B2, C2, D3) on the shade matching accuracy of the tested composites.

Main Methods:

• Three composite materials were tested on bi-layered acrylic teeth in five shades.
• Instrumental color measurements (L*, a*, b*) were taken using VITA Easyshade V, and mean ΔE₀₀ values were calculated.
• Visual shade matching was performed by 30 evaluators who graded the match from 1 (best) to 3 (poorest).

Main Results:

• Instrumentally, Omnichroma (OM) and TPH Spectra ST (TS) showed better shade matching for lighter shades, while Tetric EvoCeram (TE) exhibited consistent, lower ΔE₀₀ values across all shades.
• Visually, TE provided the best shade match for darker shades (C2, D3), whereas OM and TS performed better with lighter shades.
• TE demonstrated superior overall shade matching performance compared to OM and TS.

Conclusions:

• Shade matching ability is dependent on both the composite material and the specific shade being matched.
• Tetric EvoCeram (TE) generally provided a better shade match across multiple shades compared to Omnichroma (OM) and TPH Spectra ST (TS).
• Single and group shade composites may have limitations in highly esthetic situations compared to multi-shade systems.