Comparative study on the shade matching performance of dental students under D55 and D65 light sources conditions

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the effect of D55 and D65 light sources on the visual colorimetry performance of dental students by using a homemade light-source shelf. Two Vitapan 3D-Master shade guides were randomly selected. One set was used as shade guides. Ten commonly used shade tabs of 2L2.5, 2M2, 2R2.5, 3M2, 3R2.5, 3L1.5, 3R1.5, 3L2.5, 4R1.5, and 4L1.5 were selected from the other set with covered value marks and numbered from 1 to 10. After the colorimetric training, 49 undergraduate dental students were randomly divided into two groups. Each student randomly selected two of the 10 shade tabs, and the colors were subsequently matched under D65 and D55 light sources from a distance of approximately 40 cm. The average color difference (ΔE) between the color selected by each participant and the actual color of shade tabs was calculated. Paired t test was used for statistical analysis. The ΔE values between the color selected by each participant and the actual color of the shade tabs under the D55 light source varied from 0 to 6.540. The average value was 2.501. The ΔE values between the color selected by each participant and the actual color of the shade tabs under the D65 light source varied from 0 to 6.610. The average value was 2.530. No statistically significant difference was observed between the results under the two light sources (P=0.921). Both D55 and D65 daylight lamps can be used for daily dental colorimetry. These two different color temperatures showed no significant difference.