Scientific and artistic principles of tooth shade selection: a review

ABSTRACT

Modern dentistry is facing growing demands for esthetic tooth-colored restorations, whether in composite, porcelain or acrylic systems. This makes shade selection, on the chair-side and its accurate formulation in the laboratory, the key determinant to the overall success of these restorations. The process of shade selection itself is based on scientific, artistic and physiological principles, which should be properly understood to avoid any shade mismatches and consequent remakes. Hence, the aim of this article was to review the basic principles involved in the shade selection process and present them in an easy-to-understand manner. For this, an electronic search was carried out in PubMed and PakMedinet databases and journal websites, supplemented by a hand search of the published literature and standard textbooks of Prosthodontics to gather all relevant information. It is hoped that this article shall provide useful knowledge to the dental community on the science behind the art of successful shade selections