Methods: The study consisted of 193 people, ranging in age from 18 to 32 years (mean 20.4±1.8 years). An anonymous questionnaire regarding self-assessment of anterior tooth shade was distributed among patients who arrived at a dental clinic for routine treatment. A "Vita" classical shade guide was used to evaluate tooth shade by both patient and clinician in a double blinded manner.
Results: Response rate was 100%. Only 3.6% were highly satisfied with the shade of their teeth; 83.4% would have liked to undergo bleaching procedure. In 18.7%, shade estimation matched in hue and chroma to the clinician's evaluation. A positive correlation was found between participants' self-assessment of their shade and the dental clinician's assessment (p<0.05). Tooth shade was more accurately assessed by women (p=0.02) and non-smokers (p=0.03). Participants assessed their shade darker than the clinician (p<0.001), according to the Vita classical shade (lightest to darkest).
Conclusions: Participants tended to rate their teeth darker than the actual shade, which should be kept in mind when assessing tooth shade. Dental clinicians should present patients' tooth shade assessment together with the actual shade scale in order to match patients' expectations with reality. Most participants would like to have their teeth whitened (bleaching procedure).With the increasing demand for improved esthetics, clinicians should consider a tooth whitening procedure in the overall treatment plan