Using a spectrophotometric study of human gingival colour distribution to develop a shade guide

Abstract Objectives For dental prostheses, colour choice is a main concern. The present spectrometric study analyzes healthy gingiva to develop a shade guide for pink aesthetics. Methods A reflectance spectrometer and an external light source were set up in a 45/0-degree optical configuration to measure the colour of gingiva over the maxillary anterior area. A total of 362 human subjects with healthy gingiva were divided into groups according to sex and age. The Commission Internationale de l‘Eclairage L *, a *, and b * (CIELAB) values and differences in colour (Δ E ) were measured. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test and cluster analyses were used to analyse the data. Results There are significant differences in the gingival colour by sex (Δ E > 3.7). The mean CIE L * value of female gingiva is significantly higher than that of male gingiva ( p < 0.05). No significant differences were found between age groups. 10 categories for gingival colour are established. Conclusion The gingival colour of females is lighter than that of males. The proposed colour classification can be used as a gingival shade guide reference by dental laboratory technicians.