[Evaluation of the professional dentists' ability to determine the tooth shade guide: a pilot study].

Background: During its clinical practice, the dentist is often faced with issues concerning the determination of teeth shade. This step is considered sensitive by numerous clinicians and dental laboratories. The objective of this study was to test the ability of professional dentists to visually determine the teeth color.
Material and Methods: Eleven dentists classified 35 unmarked samples according to their hue, chroma and value from 2 standardized tooth shade guides Ivoclar-Vivadent (Chromascop) et Vita (3D Master). The ratio between the number of matching samples and the total amount of samples from each group was calculated and converted to a score between 0 and 10.
Results: Better scores were obtained for value and chroma with the 3D Master shade guide than with the Chromascop shade guide (p < 0.001). The opposite result was obtained for the hue (p < 0.05). Globally, better results were obtained for the value and chroma, the hue being the most difficult item to evaluate. A satisfying "color perception" was observed in 69% of the cases.
Conclusion: The results of this study argue in favor of a specific training for tooth shade determination in Odontology.