The influence of selected light intensities on color perception within the color range of natural teeth

A study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of light intensity on the ability to discriminate color differences within the color range of natural teeth. The results show that shade selection is not significantly affected within the range of 75 to 300 fc. Neither the specialty of the dentist nor the amount of time in practice appeared to be a factor in making color discriminations. However, 7 of the 50 dentists serving as subjects were found to be color defective, and a difference was found between their color discrimination abilities and those of normal persons. This suggests that color-defective dentists should obtain assistance when matching tooth shades.