Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026
Evaluating the Effects of Different Polishing Methods on Color Stability of Dental Restorations in Pediatric Dentistry
Published on: June 6, 2025
Effect of Flavored, Blond, and Filterless Cigarette Smoke on the Color Stability and Surface Roughness of a
Nicole Roxana Modragon De Los Santos1, Raúl Antonio Rojas Ortega1, Victor Moreno-Prieto1
1School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Norbert Wiener, Lima, Peru.
Purpose:
This in vitro study evaluated the effect of cigarette smoke from three tobacco types on the color stability and surface roughness of a nanohybrid resin composite.
Material And Methods:
Sixty standardized Filtek Z350 XT nanohybrid resin composite discs were prepared and randomly allocated into three groups (n = 20) according to cigarette type: flavored tobacco, blond tobacco, and filterless tobacco. Baseline color and surface roughness measurements were obtained before smoke exposure. Color was assessed using the CIE L*a*b* system, and overall color change (ΔE) was calculated after the experimental period. Surface roughness was measured as arithmetic mean roughness (Ra, μm). The specimens were exposed to cigarette smoke using a custom-built smoking device under standardized conditions for 30 consecutive days, followed by final color and roughness measurements. Intergroup and intragroup comparisons were performed using appropriate parametric and non-parametric tests, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.
Results:
All groups exhibited color alteration after smoke exposure. Mean ΔE values were 10.09 ± 1.78 for flavored tobacco, 13.19 ± 1.97 for blond tobacco, and 16.57 ± 3.74 for filterless tobacco, with significant intergroup differences (p < 0.001). The filterless tobacco group showed the greatest chromatic alteration. Surface roughness increased significantly within all groups after smoke exposure (all p < 0.001). Mean ΔRa values were 0.116 ± 0.039 μm, 0.139 ± 0.049 μm, and 0.148 ± 0.054 μm for flavored, blond, and filterless tobacco, respectively; however, intergroup differences in ΔRa were not statistically significant (p = 0.100).
Conclusion:
Cigarette smoke adversely affected both the color stability and surface roughness of the tested nanohybrid resin composite. Filterless tobacco produced the greatest color alteration, whereas all tobacco types significantly increased surface roughness without significant intergroup differences in ΔRa. Under the present experimental conditions, color change was more discriminative than surface roughness for detecting differences among cigarette types.