title: Estimating costs for shade matching and shade corrections of fixed partial dentures for dental technicians in Germany: a pilot investigation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the additional operating expenses caused by shade matching by dental technicians in the dental practice and by color changes of fixed partial dentures.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was handed out to visitors of the 2010 ADT dental technician congress in Germany. Thirty-one completed questionnaires were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean costs caused by shade matching and shade correction per month were 1269$ (SD = 1278$; n = 25) and per unit of FPD 9.32$ (SD = 8.89$).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An improvement of shade matching, shade communication and reproduction should be made in order to minimize the considerable economic damage for dental laboratories.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Dental School, University of Heidelberg, Germany. nicoleta.corcodel@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Nicoleta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Corcodel
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zenthöfer
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Setz
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rammelsberg
authors.forename: Alexander J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hassel
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003800:Dental Technicians / Q000191:economics*; D003779:Denture Design / Q000191:economics*; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed / Q000191:economics*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007754:Laboratories, Dental / Q000191:economics; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017797:Prosthesis Coloring / Q000191:economics*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires