Optical influence of the type of illuminant, substrates and thickness of ceramic materials

Abstract Objectives The present study is an instrumental evaluation of the optical influence of the type of illuminant, substrate and different thickness on the color of dental ceramics. Methods Thirty ceramic disks were prepared from IPS-Empress and IPS-Empress2 in three different thicknesses (1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 mm). Disks made of composite resin; silver–palladium alloy and gold were used as substrates. The disks with a 1.5 mm thickness were placed on a neutral gray photographic paper and measured with a spectrophotometer under three illuminants: daylight (D65), incandescent light (A) and fluorescent light (F6). All ceramic disks were combined with the substrate disks and a spectrophotometer was used to measure the coordinates of lightness ( L *) and chromaticity ( a * and b *). Two-way ANOVA ( p < 0.05) was used to analyze the combinations of ceramics, substrates and illuminants tested considering the coordinates of lightness ( L *) and chromaticity ( a * and b *), and also differences of color (Δ E ), lightness (Δ L *), chromaticity values (Δ a * and Δ b *). Results For the illuminants tested, the results present significant differences for coordinates of chromaticity a* and b*, suggesting a metamerism effect. In combination with the substrates, the results present statistical differences in all the tested conditions, especially where there is no ceramic substructure. Significance The presence of discolored tooth remnants or metallic posts and cores can interfere with the desired aesthetic result, based on the selection of color aided by a single luminous source. Thus, the substrate color effect, thickness of the ceramic materials and type of illuminant are important factors to be considered during the clinical application of the ceramic systems.