Digital Shade Matching in Dentistry

Abstract

Despite the fact that daily dentistry is rapidly integrating technology in recent years, and the digitalization of complete workflows, from preparation to impressions and restorations manufacturing, is accessible to the majority of dentists, when it comes to selecting proper materials based on color properties, most dentists rely on shade selection via visual comparison of dental tissues to shade tabs, irrelevant to the final restoration in terms of material and optical properties. This practice has remained unaltered or least evolved during decades. This might be the result of the lack of familiarization of dentists to dimensions of color and ways of measuring them.

The most difficult part regarding chromatometry (measuring of color) lies in the cross-calibration of equipment. Up to the development of digital sensors for photographic use, the only option was hardware calibration, a task not at all easy. After moving to the digital era of photography, potentials developed are numberless, since the option of post-processing of image files bearing color information is present and simple, non-calibratable hardware such as photographic equipment or even smartphone devices can be utilized for color measurement.

There are yet many unknown paths to be explored towards the ingression of digital chromatometry in everyday dentistry. Some efforts of integration as an add-on application into 3-D scanners software do not yet offer a reliable and repeatable result and can be only considered as advisory rather than diagnostic. In this next chapter, we will explore the history and progress into the science of chromatometry, we will have a deeper look at devices of digital image capturing, specifically such as phasmatophotometers, and less specialized such as digital cameras, and we will present existing tools, methods, and applications that aim to function for dental color record and replication.

The past, present, and future of shade selection regarding materials, techniques, and practices in daily dental practice to maximize aesthetics.