COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF VISUAL COLOR MATCHING FOR ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL TEETH BY STUDENT OF DENTAL FACULTY AT KHARKIV NATIONAL MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative assessment of dental students’ ability to match the color of patients’ teeth with aesthetic restorations. Materials and Methods. The study was conducted from 2021 to 2024 with participation of 2nd- and 3rd-year students at the Faculty of Dentistry, Kharkiv National Medical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine. Results. Accurate determination and reproduction of natural tooth color is a challenging task in aesthetic dentistry, as color plays a crucial aesthetic role. This process depends heavily on the experience and perception of dentists and can be approached subjectively (visual analysis) or objectively (special devices). Although shade determination is a routine task for dentists, errors are still common. The study revealed that 2nd-year students struggled significantly with color matching, especially for natural teeth, with error rates of 66.6% for artificial teeth and 80.8% for natural teeth, indicating a need for more training. Students performed better using the VITA Classic shade guide, which is simplified, but matching the color of natural teeth requires additional practice. The results confirm that clinical training improves students’ color-matching skills. After training, 3rd-year students showed a marked decrease in error rates: 35.8% for artificial teeth and 53.3% for natural teeth. The Vita 3D Master scale proved more accurate due to its broader color-matching capabilities. Overall, the accuracy levels improved significantly, highlighting the effectiveness of the training program. Conclusion. The results of the study demonstrate that training significantly improves students' ability to accurately determine tooth color. The 3rd year students who underwent clinical training showed better results in matching the color of both artificial and natural teeth, reducing the number of errors by 35.8% and 53.3%, respectively. The Vita 3D Master scale proved to be more accurate due to a wider selection of colors and more evaluation parameters. The 81.5% increase in the overall score confirms the effectiveness of the training in improving the accuracy of tooth color determination in the educational process.