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Effect of Dehydration Time on Color Difference and Recovery After Tooth Fragment Reattachment: An In Vitro Study
Daniella Birnbaum Pessoa De Mello1, Nathally Lauise Santos Sousa1, Liliana Vicente Melo De Lucas Rezende1
1University Hospital of Brasilia, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil.
Background And Aim:
Reattachment of dental fragments is a conservative approach for managing enamel-dentin fractures; however, fragment dehydration may compromise esthetic outcomes. This study evaluated the influence of different dehydration periods on color differences in reattached dental fragments over 1 year.
Methodology:
48 bovine incisors were sectioned to simulate enamel-dentin fractures and randomly allocated into four groups (n = 12) according to fragment dehydration time: no dehydration, 12, 24, and 48 h. After 20 min of rehydration, fragments were reattached using a universal adhesive system and bulk-fill resin composite. Specimens were stored in artificial saliva at 37°C. Color measurements were obtained at baseline and after 7, 14, 30, and 90 days and 1 year using the CIELAB and CIEDE2000 color systems. Data were analyzed using three-way repeated-measures analysis of variance followed by Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc tests (α = 0.05).
Results:
Significant three-way interactions among dehydration time, evaluation period, and measurement location were observed for both color systems (CIELAB: F (7.17, 210.19) = 2.67, p = 0.011, ηp2 = 0.084; CIEDE2000: F (7.71, 226.28) = 2.89, p = 0.005, ηp2 = 0.090). Post hoc comparisons showed that dehydrated groups generally presented higher color differences than the control condition, particularly in the fragment region. No complete return to baseline color values was observed after 1 year. Notably, high color differences were also observed in the control group at the final evaluation. No consistent significant differences were found between the 24 and 48 h dehydration groups across most evaluation periods.
Conclusions:
Fragment dehydration influenced long-term color behavior after reattachment, with clinically perceptible differences persisting over time. However, color differences were also observed in non-dehydrated specimens, indicating that factors other than dehydration may contribute to long-term chromatic alterations.
