A comparison of anterior teeth color among Polish, Saudi and Taiwanese students of dentistry

Abstract Introduction. Color of teeth is undoubtedly one of the most important factors considering patients’ satisfaction with the quality of their restoration, especially in the anterior region of the mouth. Therefore, the determination of color is an integral part of esthetic dentistry and therefore it should be given the highest importance in dentistry in order to achieve the esthetic requirements of patients. Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate tooth color in 3 different ethnic groups and its relationship with gender and type of tooth using a clinical spectrophotometer. Material and methods. A total of 90 dental students of the Medical University of Lublin was divided into three groups of 30 each according to participant’s ethnicity, which was as follows: Polish, Saudi Arabian and Taiwanese. Then, different divisions were made according to gender as well as the type of teeth. The tooth color was identified by spectrophotometer. The data was statistically analyzed. Results. For the Vita Classical shade guide, A3.5 shade was the most frequently chosen in Taiwanese and Saudi students’ teeth. However, the most common shade observed for the anterior teeth of Polish students was A3. The most common shade among males was A3.5 and in females A3 was the most frequent shade. In all 360 central incisors, overall, the most common shades noticed were A2, D3 and C1. In all 360 lateral incisors, D3, A3 and A2 were the most frequent shades for this group of teeth. In all 360 canines, A3.5 and A3 were the most common shade with almost half of the number of canines in this study was measured with A3.5. Conclusions. Based on the performed preliminary research, it was observed that Polish students tend to have brighter teeth than Saudis which in turn have even brighter teeth than Taiwanese students. It was also noted that men are more likely to have darker shade values than women. Central incisors have higher values of tooth color than lateral incisors and canines.