Natural Tooth Color Mapping using Digital Equipement

Introduction: Tooth appearance interpretation with the human eye using shade guide tabs is oftenly not effective. Defining tooth color position in the one of the color spaces (Munsels or CIELAB color space) may be useful, but the complexity and the costs of sophisticated instruments make them hardly available for use in the dental offices. Simple digital photgraphy may offer a solution. Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize natural teeth as well as VITA Shade tabs in terms of L* a* b* color maps obtained by digital photography. Materials and Methods: Patients where selected based on the VITA shade of their tooth #11. VITA shade tabs were mounted in the position of the tooth #11 of a phantom head. Digital photographs were taken (Olympus) according to a standard procedure. Color was measured at nine positions along the 0.5 mm central stroke from cervical to incisal by using the Adobe Photoshop software program. Results: In both groups specific patterns in the L* a* b* color-points composition were recognized. The L* and b* values of both groups didn’t differ siginificantly while the a* values of the natural teeth show more irregular patterns when compared to the VITA shade tabs. Discussion: This result showed the potency for color mapping of a whole tooth surface by extrapolation of the L* a* b* color values of only one part of the surface. However, with this method it may be difficult to determine translucency aspects. Conclusion: Color mapping by use of standardized digital photography may be an useful tool for a dentist to characterize tooth color. The color diversity of tooth surfaces is not always corresponding with that of the shade tabs, particularly in a red-green area (a*). A.Dozic@ACTA.nl