Comparison of two optical devices used for artificial tooth color selection.

BACKGROUND: Correct color assessment and the selection of the color of the prosthetic restoration are important aspects of prosthetic treatment, which significantly affect the success of the treatment. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare 2 commercial devices used for tooth color selection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The color of maxillary right central incisors and right canines was assessed in a group 100 patients aged 22-40 years (25.11 ±3.24 years), using the Easyshade® spectrophotometer and the ShadeStar® colorimeter. Two visual shade guides were used as references for the tests - VITA VITAPAN® Classical and VITA 3D­Master. The 2 instruments and the 2 visual shade guides were assessed in terms of agreement in tooth color selection. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences between the 2 instruments in terms of agreement in tooth color selection as well as between the 2 shade guides. The VITA VITAPAN Classical shade guide was shown to be more accurate in tooth color selection than VITA 3D­Master. There was agreement between the Easyshade spectrophotometer and ShadeStar colorimeter measurements for incisors in 49% of cases with the VITA VITAPAN Classical shade guide and in 22% of cases with VITA 3D­Master. In the comparative analysis of the Easyshade and ShadeStar devices with regard to the measurements performed on canines there was 52% agreement for the VITA VITAPAN Classical shade guide and 32% agreement for VITA 3D­Master. CONCLUSIONS: The VITA VITAPAN Classical system demonstrated superior agreement in shade selection as compared to the VITA 3D­Master system. A low degree of agreement between the optical devices used in the selection of the color of artificial teeth may indicate optical differences between devices from different manufacturers.

Effects of different light sources on tooth shade selection.

BACKGROUND: Differences in lighting conditions can make matching the shade of a single porcelain tooth to the natural adjacent teeth very challenging. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to examine visual shade selection under 3 different light sources - natural daylight, a dental operating light and a color-corrected light. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The visual assessment was based on a comparison between a shade guide and the target tooth. One observer with normal color vision was asked to visually match the color of the maxillary central right incisor and the maxillary right canine in a group of 100 subjects, aged 22-40 years. Two shade guides were used - VITA Vitapan Classical® and VITA 3D Master® - in natural daylight as well as under an operating light and a handheld light (Demetron Shade Light®). The VITA Easyshade® spectrophotometer was used to evaluate the results of the visual shade selection method. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the effects of using the shade guide systems (p < 0.05) and light sources (p < 0.05). Overall, the use of the Vitapan Classical shade guide significantly improved the correlation between visual matching and the spectrophotometer readings. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, the Vitapan Classical shade guide demonstrated superior agreement in shade selection as compared to the 3D Master shade guide. The Demetron Shade Light was proven to be a useful device for the color matching of artificial teeth in prosthodontic treatment. Visual tooth color matching is a subjective method and it produces the best results under a color-matching light.