An evaluation of shade differences between natural anterior teeth in different age groups and gender using commercially available shade guides.

Shade selection with the help of shade guides and color matching the restorations to the natural dentition continues to be one of the most perplexing and frustrating problems in fixed prosthodontics. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the shade differences of the natural anterior teeth in different age groups and gender, within the cross sectional Bangalore, Karnataka population, using commercially available shade guides. The shade of a cross section of the population comprising of 400 subjects of both the sexes (800 incisors; 400 maxillary central incisors; 400 mandibular central incisors) visiting the outpatient Department of Government Dental College was selected randomly and evaluated visually by a single observer using three commonly used shade guides i.e. Vita Lumin, Chromascop and the Vita 3D Master. The incidence of the most common shades in the different age groups and gender using these shade guides was obtained and this data was subjected to the χ(2) test (p < 0.05-significant). The most common shade for the maxillary and mandibular incisors in the younger age group is A2/2R1.5/140 and A1/1M2/120 for the males and females using Vita Lumin, Vita 3D Master and Chromascop shade guides respectively. In the advanced age group the most common shade for the maxillary and mandibular incisors is A2/2R2.5/140 using the same order of shade guides. However the results showed no statistical significance in shade variation in males and females in different age groups using different shade guides. Although the incidence of males with darker teeth as compared to females was higher; the study showed no statistical significant correlation between shade differences in both the sexes. It is also observed that there is a significant darkening of teeth as the age advances.