title: In vivo color measurement of 410 maxillary anterior teeth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To make in vivo color measurements of maxillary anterior teeth.
  
  
  METHODS
  A fiber-optic spectrophotometer (FMC-9204, Kunming, China) was used for in vivo color measurements of 410 healthy maxillary anterior teeth of 70 Kunming residents aged 18 to 70. The results were expressed by the CIE (Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage) L*A*B* system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The value of L* was positively correlated with L* = 42.74 + 0.14 x age; the value of A* was negatively correlated with age (A* = 1.73 - 0.03 x age). The color of the maxillary anterior teeth was related to tooth position: the central incisor had the highest value of L*, the canine had the lowest. The canine was also redder, yellower, and more saturated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, School of Stomatology, West China University of Medical Sciences (WCUMS), P. R. China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003116:Color; D003481:Cuspid / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055100:Optical Fibers; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods