Prevalence of color vision deficiency among Saudi dentists and its effect on shade selection: a cross-sectional study

Accurate shade selection is essential for aesthetic dental restorations and relies on the clinician's color perception. Color vision deficiency (CVD) may impair this ability, yet data on its prevalence and clinical impact among dentists in Saudi Arabia are limited. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of CVD and its association with shade-matching accuracy.

This cross-sectional study included 150 dental students, interns, general dentists, and specialists. Color vision was assessed using the Ishihara test and categorized as normal, borderline, or red-green CVD. Shade-matching accuracy was evaluated using the VITA Classical Shade Guide under standardized lighting. Group differences were analysed using the Kruskal-Wallis test with post-hoc Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and Holm adjustment.

Normal color vision was observed in 78.7% of participants, 6.0% had red-green CVD, and 15.3% showed borderline findings. Shade-matching accuracy differed significantly across groups (p < 0.001), with the highest accuracy in participants with normal color vision and the lowest in those with red-green CVD.

CVD is present among dentists in Saudi Arabia and is associated with reduced shade-matching accuracy. Awareness of color vision status may be important in dental education and clinical practice. Routine color vision screening may therefore be warranted as part of dental education curricula and pre-clinical training programmes to identify clinicians who may benefit from corrective strategies or instrument-assisted shade matching.