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Accuracy in Dental Medicine, A New Way to Measure Trueness and Precision
Published on: April 29, 2014
Comparative Evaluation of Shade Selection Reliability: Visual Assessment, Intraoral Scanning, and Photographic
Faezeh Atri1,2, Faraz Rahmani3, Maryam Memarian1
1Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, tums.ac.ir.
International Journal of Dentistry
|May 14, 2026
Summary
Intraoral scanning offers the highest reliability for dental shade selection, significantly outperforming visual assessments and photography. This digital method improves esthetic outcomes in prosthetic dentistry.
Area of Science:
- Dental Materials Science
- Esthetic Dentistry
- Digital Dentistry
Background:
- Accurate color matching is vital for patient satisfaction in prosthetic dentistry.
- Current shade selection techniques vary in reliability, impacting esthetic dental outcomes.
- Evaluating established methods is crucial for optimizing prosthetic procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess and compare the reliability of three primary dental shade selection techniques: visual assessment, intraoral scanning, and photography.
- To identify the most dependable method for accurate tooth color determination in prosthetic dentistry.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 26 participants aged 20-40 with pristine maxillary central incisors.
- Color matching was performed using visual assessment, intraoral scanning, and digital photography (SLR and smartphone).
- Reliability was quantified using the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) test.
Main Results:
- Intraoral scanning demonstrated the highest reliability at 92.3%.
- Visual assessment showed moderate reliability (61.5%), hampered by inter-evaluator issues.
- Photographic methods (SLR and smartphone) exhibited the lowest reliability (15.4% and 7.7%, respectively).
Conclusions:
- Intraoral scanning is the most reliable technique for precise dental color matching.
- Photographic methods are unreliable for accurate shade selection in dentistry.
- Optimizing shade selection through reliable digital tools enhances prosthetic success.
