Color stability of dental composite materials after exposure to staining solutions: A spectrophotometer analysis

The success rate of composite restorative materials depends very much on their color stability in the oral cavity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the color changes of four different brands of dental composite resin materials by using four staining solutions. A total of 128 disk-shaped specimens of 152 mm were prepared out of 4 composite resin materials. Two nanocomposites: Filtek supreme, Tetric Evoceram and two micro hybrid composites: Filtek Z250 and Tetric ceram, were prepared. The specimens were then divided into 4 groups of 8 specimens each and they were immersed in 4 staining solutions (Coffee, Tea, Cola, and Artificial Saliva) for 3 hours daily over a 24 day testing period. The color of specimens was measured with a spectrophotometer using CIELab color space relative to illuminant D65 at baseline and after staining. The color differences (E) were calculated. The E=3.3 was used as an acceptable value in subjective visual evaluations. Data was analyzed using ANOVA and Post-hoc test at significance level of 0.05. All tested materials showed unacceptable color change in coffee and tea groups (E>3.3). The greatest color change was observed in Filtek supreme in coffee. The specimens in cola and artificial saliva didnt cause a notable color change clinically. Coffee and tea can significantly influence the discoloration of dental resin composite materials under investigation. The nanocomposite Filtek supreme color change was significantly more than other composites when exposed to coffee. Therefore, color stability of composite restorative materials depends very much on dietary habits.