The Development and Assessment of Different Shade Selection Protocols, A Novel Approach

This study aimed to evaluate various shade selection protocols using corrective light for shade selection with different viewing backgrounds and to assess the shade matching the performance of students in King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD). One-Hundred participants were recruited from undergraduate levels with clinical experience. Six different techniques took place with each participant individually using either daylight or corrective light (Smile Lite), with or without a polarizing filter, and different backgrounds. Participants were asked to choose the most appropriate shade of three different shades of artificial teeth placed on an experimental model. A statistically significant difference was reported in correct shade selection between participants who are familiar with the gold standard compared to those who are not. Corrective light with a polarizing filter was the most preferred technique among all participants (62%). There was a significant difference between techniques where using the corrective light technique presented the highest number of correct shade selections (P-value= 0.008). The shade matching performance among dental undergraduates was better when corrective light with a filter was used and when they have previous knowledge of the gold standard protocol for shade selection.