Color analysis of dental modifying porcelains.

Sintered samples of modifying porcelains of various colors and manufacturers were analyzed using reflectance spectrophotometry. Color designations are reported according to practices of the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (International Commission for Illumination), and color names were assigned based on a method developed through a joint effort of the Inter-Society Color Council and the United States National Bureau of Standards (ISCC-NBS). Within samples labeled by the same color, differences among manufacturers were found in the color designations and names. These differences were noted in part by plots of the chromaticity coordinates of the samples. The ISCC-NBS method of designating colors is proposed as a uniform and descriptive color-naming method for modifier porcelain. Consistent color naming is a step in improving communication over the use of modifying porcelains.