Ocular dominance and visual color perception: A study on the overlooked factor in dental esthetics

In contemporary dentistry, the growing emphasis on esthetics has made shade selection both a critical and demanding task. Precisely interpreting visual cues is essential for achieving natural and harmonious restorations in clinical practice.

To examine how ocular dominance influences accuracy in shade matching and perception of tooth color in esthetic and restorative dental treatments.

A total of 80 participants, group 1: faculty members (n = 33) and group 2: Postgraduates students (n = 47) were assessed for eye dominance using Mile's test, color perception using the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue test, and shade matching using the Vitapan Classical shade guide.

The mean difference between the dominant and non-dominant eye was compared by using the Student's-t-test, where, P < 0.05 was considered significant for all statistical inference.

Right eye dominance was observed in 71.2% of participants. FM-100 hue test scores were significantly lower (better perception) in the dominant eye across both groups (P < 0.01). Shade matching accuracy was significantly higher in the dominant eye for both groups, with faculty members (Group 1) performing better overall (P < 0.001).

Eye dominance positively affects shade matching and color perception, particularly in individuals with greater clinical experience.