Is it possible to determine the optical properties of resin composites with clinical spectrophotometers?

The present study aimed to determine how spectrophotometer type and background blackness affect the optical evaluation of resin composites. Cylindrical specimens were built using one resin composite, provided with translucencies named Effect, Enamel, Body, and Dentin (n = 3). The CIELAB color coordinates were assessed over black and white backgrounds using a handheld spectrophotometer designed for laboratory readings (SP60, X-Rite) and a spectrophotometer designed for clinical application (Easyshade V5, Vita Zahnfabrik). The black portion of a grayscale target (ColorChecker) and the black trap portion of the calibration reference of the spectrophotometer were used. Color differences between the devices were calculated, as well as the translucency parameter and contrast ratio. Data were analyzed by repeated-measures ANOVA and linear regressions (alpha = .05). In general, Easyshade resulted in higher values for all color coordinates than the SP60, irrespective of the background. Easyshade was unable to measure the color of composite Effect over black backgrounds. For other composite translucencies, both spectrophotometers yielded similar values of translucency parameter and contrast ratio, and the blackness of the black background did not affect these results. The highest agreement for the translucency parameter and contrast ratio values was observed for the composite Dentin. High agreement was observed between the two spectrophotometers regarding the translucency parameter and contrast ratio values. However, the clinical spectrophotometer was unable to measure the color of the more translucent composite over a black background and overestimated the color coordinates.