Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Nov 29;11(12):275.
doi: 10.3390/dj11120275.

Visual Tooth Color Determination with Different Reference Scales as an Exercise in Dental Students' Education

Thomas U Klinke  1 , Wolfgang B Hannak  2 , Klaus Böning  3 , Holger A Jakstat  4 , Elisabeth Prause  2
Affiliations

Visual Tooth Color Determination with Different Reference Scales as an Exercise in Dental Students' Education

Thomas U Klinke et al. Dent J (Basel). .

Abstract

Visual color determination (VCD) requires color competence and individual training. The aim of this study was to evaluate the deviations in students' VCD with two different reference scales. The research hypothesis was that none of the color references would provide a better result. Participants evaluated nine templates randomly using two reference scales (VITA-classical (VC) and 3D-Master-Toothguide (3DM_TG)). The color distance to the chosen color (ΔEab) was calculated in the CIELAB 2000. The sum's changes in the parameters (LCh°) represented the target variable. Results were evaluated with non-parametric, rank-scaled methods, utilizing the median with a 25%-75% quartile. The significance level (α = 0.05) is determined using the Student's t-test. The mean ± 95%CI (SD) was -1.27 ± -1.09 (3.18); the median ΔE00 was -1.49 (-1.97; 0.96) for dC3DM_TG. The determination with VC showed noticeable differences (dCVC), with a mean ΔE00 of 0.00 ± 0.00 (2.20) and a median ΔE00 of 0.00 (1.17; 1.71). The standard error was 0.19 for the dCVC and 0.27 for the dC3DM_TG. dC3DM_TG vs. dCVC showed significant differences at p < 0.001. The dental student's VCD resulted in color deviations, regardless of the reference template used. The color deviations in hue and chroma were comparable, regardless of the reference scale. VCD's early implementation in dental education is useful to avoid shade misjudgments and potentially expensive remakes of dentures.

Keywords: color competence; color determination; shade taking; student’s dental education; tooth guide.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The CIE-LCh system. The localization of the point “F” can be specified as the color angle (hue value, H in h°) and vector length C* (chroma) of the color saturation in the cylinder coordinate (L*, C*, and h°).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gender distribution in the proband’s cohort [%].
Figure 3
Figure 3
The distribution of participants’ ages has a mean of 23.5 ± 2.65 years.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Deviation (ΔE00) for color determination in hue value (h°), lightness (L), and vector length C* (chroma) with VITA Classical (VC) and with VITA 3D–Master-Toothguide (3DM) reference scale of student’s color determination.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chu S.J., Devigus A., Paravina R., Mieleszko A. Fundamentals of Color: Shade Matching and Communication in Esthetic Dentistry. 2nd ed. Quintessence Pub Co.; Batavia, IL, USA: 2010.
    1. Chu S.J., Trushkowsky R.D., Paravina R.D. Dental color matching instruments and systems. Review of clinical and research aspects. J. Dent. 2010;38((Suppl. S2)):e2–e16. doi: 10.1016/j.jdent.2010.07.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baltzer A., Kaufmann-Jinoian V. The Determination of the Tooth Colors. Quintessenz Zahntech. 2004;30:726–740.
    1. Stoll R., Frankenberger R. Praxis und Theorie der Zahnfarbe bei restaurativer Therapie. Quintessenz. 2010;61:581–585.
    1. Fondriest J. Shade matching in restorative dentistry: The science and strategies. Int. J. Periodontics Restor. Dent. 2003;23:467–479. doi: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2004.03.015. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources