Prevelance of Color Blindness in Dental Students and Staff

Objective: Presence of color blindness in dentists can create difficulties when selecting dental colors, and also in distinction of some periodontal diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of this problem among dental students and staff. Methods: The sample consisted of dental students, staff and dental technicians of Azad University, Khorasgan university, Isfahan, Iran. The size of the sample was 140 persons (80 males and 60 females), and with the aid of Ishihara`s test and a selection of color images, subjects were examined. Statistical methods used were pooled t-test and Chi-Square, with Yates corrected. Results: The occurrence of persons suffering from this disorder was 11.4%, of which males accounted for 10% and females 1.4%. Also, the results demonstrated that there is a relationship between having this disorder and the presence of color-blindness in the respondent's first relatives. Conclusion: High rates of color-blindness in this population suggests that caution should be exercised, and that more consistent shade matching procedures would improve clinical outcomes. It is alo advisable if the presence of this deficiency could be detected in students from the first year of studying dentistry.