Comparison of Color Matching Ability of Dental Students and Dental Graduates using Vita Tooth Guide 3-D Master

Background: Achieving a satisfactory color match for dental restorations necessitates the effective selection and replication of shades. The knowledge of color science provides an understanding of the fundamental principles governing color mixing and interactionObjective: To compare the ability of color matching of dental students and dental graduates using vita tooth guide 3-D master.Material and Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 participants (100 dental students and 100 graduates) at the Prosthodontics department, LUMHS, Jamshoro using convenience sampling technique. At some time between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM. The vita tooth guide 3D master® shade guide (VITA, Japan incorp) was used to compare the ability to match colors. Each participant was asked to color matched three shades (2L1.5, 1M2, and 2R1) of porcelain maxillary right central incisors. The comparison of color identification between dental students and graduates was conducted using the chi-squareResults: The gender distribution analysis revealed that group A had 43 (43%) male participants and group B had 37 (37%) male participants. Dental graduates were more competent in correct identified proper shade than dental students for sample I(shade 2L 1.5) (p<0.001), II (shade 1M2) (p<0.001), and III (shade 2R1) (p<0.001). The association experience with Vita tooth guide 3D master with color identification test was only statistically significant for sample II (p=0.04). The results were similar among genders. For all samples and in both genders dental graduates were better than dental students in color identification statistically.Conclusion: Training and experience significantly contribute to the enhancement of color matching skills in shade selection.Keywords: Color Matching, Dental Students, Dental Graduates, Vita toothguide 3D master.