Influence Of Different Lighting Conditions On Accuracy Of Visual Shade Matching By Dental Professionals

Aims : The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of different lighting conditions on accuracy of visual shade matching by dental professionals. This study also determined any gender bias in shade matching abilities of dental practitioners. Methods and Material : Sixty dental practitioners participated in this study. All participants were tested for color blindness using Ishihara’s tests. Two classical vita shade tabs were randomly selected, and their identification codes were concealed. The participants were asked to match these selected tabs by using a complete vita shade guide under three different light conditions-natural light, clinical light, and using the commercially available hand-held shade matching device. The chosen shade tabs were recorded, and the correct matches were counted. Statistical analysis used : The data were statistically analyzed using Mann Whitney ‘U’ test and Kruskal Wallis ‘H’ test. Results : Hand-held shade matching light was better than clinical light in terms of accuracy of visual shade matching. Natural daylight was statistically significantly better than clinical light (p =0.001). Accuracy among male participants was lower as compared to female participants, but the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusions : The use of a standardized hand-held shade matching device is comparable to natural daylight, and is recommended for accurate shade matching in absence of natural lighting conditions.