Assessing color mismatch in single-shade composite resins for enamel replacement

Area of Science:

• Restorative Dentistry
• Dental Materials Science
• Color Science in Prosthodontics

Background:

• Shade selection is a critical challenge in restorative dentistry.
• Single-shade composite resins offer potential simplification but their color match accuracy is uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the color mismatch of single-shade composite resins against shaded resins.
• To assess the influence of background shade, surrounding shade, enamel thickness, and proximity on color mismatch.

Main Methods:

• Two-layer specimens (dentin/enamel) were prepared with varying background/surrounding shades (OA1/A1, OA3/A3).
• Single-shade (Omnichroma, Admira Fusion x-tra) and conventional shaded composites were placed in the enamel center.
• Color differences (ΔE) were measured at different distances and analyzed using ANOVA.

Main Results:

• Background shade, central shade, distance, and thickness significantly affected color mismatch (P<.05).
• Single-shade resins exhibited color mismatches comparable to both positive and negative controls for OA1/A1 backgrounds.
• For OA3/A3 backgrounds, single-shade resins showed no significant difference from negative controls (P>.05).
• Enamel thickness did not influence the color mismatch of single-shade resins.

Conclusions:

• Single-shade composite resins demonstrated higher color mismatches compared to positive controls when used for enamel replacement.
• The aesthetic predictability of single-shade resins may be compromised in certain clinical scenarios.