The color differences of direct esthetic restorative materials after setting and compared with a shade guide.

BACKGROUND The authors conducted a study to evaluate esthetic restorative materials' color differences after setting and color matching between set materials and a shade guide. MATERIALS AND METHODS The authors evaluated 13 resin-based composites, one silorane-based composite, two polyacid-modified resin composites and one conventional glass ionomer cement. They measured the color parameters of the samples, which were 8 millimeters in diameter and 1.5 mm in thickness, before and after they were set according to the Commission International de l'Eclairage (CIE) L*a*b* color scale relative to standard illumination against a white background by means of a dental colorimeter. They also compared the final colors of the restorative materials with a shade guide. RESULTS Color difference values for each restorative material ranged from 3.25 to 14.04. With the exception of Fuji IX (GC, Tokyo), Filtek P60 (3M ESPE) and Te-Econom (Ivoclar Vivadent), the restorative materials exhibited a perceptible color change after setting. Color difference values between the set materials and the shade guide tabs ranged from 1.86 to 11.83. With the exception of Filtek Supreme XT (3M ESPE) and Fuji IX, the materials exhibited a perceptible difference. CONCLUSION Most of the materials tested exhibited a significant color change after polymerization and did not match the shade guide tab after undergoing light curing.