Color evaluation of acrylic resin artificial denture teeth: a 5-year restrospective clinical study

Abstract

Although acrylic resin denture teeth have been widely used owing to their chemical bond to denture base acrylic resin and easy wear during occlusal adjustment, color instability is a common complication. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as temperature change, humidity, absorption and adsorption of substances, and chemical degradation can affect the color stability of denture teeth. Therefore, this study will investigate, retrospectively, the color alteration of acrylic resin artificial denture teeth in complete dentures users treated at the Complete Denture discipline of Aracatuba Dental School - UNESP during the last five years. Conventional complete dentures users rehabilitated by undergraduate students (Full-time and Part-time courses) of the Complete Denture discipline of this Institution from 2006 to 2011 will be selected. The color stability of the right central incisor will be measured through a spectrophotometer and the color alterations will be calculated by the CIE L*a*b* system. In order to evaluate the color alteration of the denture teeth after a period of use; the brand, model, and color of those teeth will be collected from the medical records of the patients. Based on this information, the color of a similar brand new tooth will be measured to calculate the color alteration. A questionnaire will be applied to collect some parameters that may affect the color change of the artificial denture teeth of the patients included herein. Data will be collected and statistical analysis will be performed through the SPSS for Windows software- version 7.5.1 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL). Correlation tests between color alteration of the artificial denture teeth and the variables collected through the questionnaire will be performed at a significant level of 5%.(AU)