Purpose: To compare the shade matching capabilities between an intraoral scanner (IOS) and a spectrophotometer under different ambient light illuminance conditions.
Material and methods: The shade of three teeth of a patient was obtained using an IOS (IOS group) (TRIOS 3; 3Shape) and a spectrophotometer (DS group) (EasyShade V; Vita Zahnfabrik) at 4 ambient illuminances: 10000-, 1000-, 500-, and 0-lx. Ten shade measurements were documented using Vita Classical and 3D-Master guides per tooth at each lighting condition. Data was analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests (α = .05).
Results: Significant shade discrepancies were obtained between the groups in different lighting conditions (P < .05). The IOS group presented significant shade discrepancies in different lighting conditions when evaluated using either shade guide, with lower variation under the 0-lx condition. However, the DS group did not present significant shade discrepancies among the different lighting conditions with either shade guide, except for the maxillary lateral incisor measured under 10 000-lx condition using the 3D-Master guide.
Conclusions: Lighting conditions influenced the shade matching competency of an IOS. The IOS tested obtained high variation in the different lighting conditions evaluated and provided a lower shade value than the spectrophotometer. The spectrophotometer revealed high consistency amongst the various lighting conditions evaluated.
Clinical implications: Ambient light illuminance conditions can impact the shade matching capabilities of IOSs. The results of this investigation suggest the use of a supplementary instrumental method for assessment of tooth shade.
Keywords: ambient light conditions; esthetic dentistry; intraoral scanner; shade selection; spectrophotometer.
© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.