Practicability of a chairside approach for characterizing CAD/CAM resin-based composites

Perception of tooth shades is subjective and not rated exactly the same by different individuals. In terms of dental esthetics, chairside individualization of dental restorations might help to improve patient satisfaction. This investigation aimed to validate the practicability of a chairside approach for staining resin-based composite restorations. Thirteen inexperienced and 13 experienced participants were recruited to first individualize two CAD/CAM resin-based composite crowns in randomized order with light-curing characterization material using two reference crowns as templates. They then evaluated the characterization procedure. The processing times were recorded, and the clinical quality of the individualized crowns was evaluated by two blinded master dental technicians. Of the 52 crowns examined, 90.4% were assessed as suitable for insertion; there was no difference in quality attributable to the different degrees of experience of the operators. The average time required for characterization of the second crown was significantly shorter than for the first crown (30.9/43.0 min), indicating that the procedure can be implemented using a chairside approach. Among the operators, 80.8% said they would use the individualization technique and staining material again. Chairside staining of CAD/CAM resin-based composite restorations with light-curing characterization materials is practicable and can be recommended for both experienced and inexperienced users.