title: Color match of resin composites to intact tooth structure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The optical properties of dental restorative materials have a dramatic effect on patient esthetics, which may be compromised by the poor blending effect of composites resins at the composite-tooth interface.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to evaluate the color-matching ability and the blending effects of 3 different composite resins when restoring natural teeth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three commercially available composites and 60 central incisors were used for this experiment. Each tooth was sectioned horizontally at the level of the cementum-enamel junction, and the crown was then bisected along the long axis of the tooth. One half of each tooth was restored individually with composite resin, after matching with the corresponding tooth shade. The tooth color was evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively using an intraoral spectrophotometer and a scientific spectrophotometer. Color differences were then evaluated by the CIEDE2000 color difference formula.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed the existence of color differences between the intact and the restored sections of the teeth. However, these differences were considered acceptable, since the ΔΕ value ranged below 3.3. The ΔE, Δa and Δb parameters showed no statistically significant differences between the groups (p&gt;0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 3 composites tested were able to mimic natural teeth and produce acceptable restorations. However, the color of the resin composites needs to be evaluated over the long term, because it is subject to alterations in the oral environment over time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki - Greece.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mourouzis
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki - Greece.
authors.forename: Elisabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Koulaouzidou
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry and Basic Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki - Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palaghias
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki - Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Helvatjoglu-Antoniades
mesh_terms: D003116:Color; D003188:Composite Resins / Q000737:chemistry*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000502:physiology; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000502:physiology; D013053:Spectrophotometry
chemical_list: D003188:Composite Resins