The Color Stability of Gingival Shade Dental Composites

Objectives: The objective of this research was to determine the color stability of two gingival shade dental restorative composite materials- Permaflow Pink and Amaris Gingival Composite.
Methods: 25 specimens of each composite (8 mm X 8 mm X2 mm) each were fabricated using telfon coated stainless steel molds and polished using a 4-step polishing regimen. The specimens were randomly assigned to one of five groups (n=5). Baseline color measurements were assessed within the CIE L*a*b* color space using a desktop spectrophotometer. For each specimen four readings for each coordinate was read and the mean obtained. Delta E was then automatically calculated.
One group from each respective material served as a control group and was immersed in distilled water, while the other groups were immersed in solutions of red wine, tea, coffee and curry. The specimens were immersed for 7 days, with the solutions being changed every 2 days. Color was reassessed using the same methodology as for baseline color measurements.
A two way analysis of variance was completed to assess for any statistically significant differences in mean Delta E at the 0.05 level of significance. Included factors in the model were the composite type, immersion solution and their interaction. A post-hoc Tukey test was used for multiple comparisons.
Results:
Pre- immersion Delta E measurements for both composites were as follows: Amaris ranged from 0.55 to 1.15 with a mean Delta E value of 0.86, Permaflow Pink ranged from 0.30 to 0.61 with a mean Delta E of 0.46. For both composites immersion in a solution of curry produced the significantly largest increase in mean Delta E values (p<0.0001), with Delta E increasing for Amaris specimens 32 fold and for Permaflow specimens by 34 fold. There were smaller, but still significant increases in Delta E for both composites when immersed in wine, coffee and tea.
Conclusions: Patients should be advised that consumption of various foods and beverages could affect the color of gingival shade composites and affect esthetics in the long term.