In vitro color changes of soft tissues caused by dyed fluorescent zirconia and nondyed, nonfluorescent zirconia in thin mucosa.

Abutment material selection may have an effect on the color of the peri-implant soft tissue, especially in thin mucosa. The objective of this in vitro study was to investigate the effect of titanium, zirconia, and dyed fluorescent zirconia on the color of 1.5-mm-thick mucosa. Ten pig maxillae were used to simulate thin mucosa according to a previously published setup. Three different abutment materials were placed under the mucosa, and the color of the soft tissue was evaluated using a spectrophotometer. The test area without underlying material was used as a control. Whereas titanium induced visible color change values of ΔE7.3, significantly above the threshold level of ΔE3.7 (P < .05, Student t test), the changes after insertion of zirconia ( ΔE3.7) and dyed fluorescent zirconia (3.5) were not statistically different from the visible threshold of ΔE3.7 (P < .05, Student t test). The difference between the two zirconia specimens was not statistically significant, although the dyed zirconia material was darker; the color difference was ΔE10.35 between the two. In contrast to titanium, neither nondyed zirconia nor dyed fluorescent zirconia changed the gingival coloration. Moreover, shading of white zirconia with a fluorescent dye leads to an all-ceramic abutment material that mimics the optical properties of natural teeth.