NEW EVALUATION TECHNIQUE IN TEETH COLOR USING DIGITAL CAMERA

디지틀 카메라를 이용한 치아색상 측정

In addition to their function, there is growing interest in esthetics of restorations for teeth from fracture and loss. Because the perception of color depends on a lot of factors such as light source, object, observer and so on. It is difficult to make an objective expression. Therefore the using of mechanical equipment is recommended to exclude these variables and observer's vias. This study was carried out to evaluate the teeth color with a newly developed digital camera and to suggest a way to solve its flaws. After photo-taking and storaging the images of normal teeth into a computer, color spaces were examined with an image analysis system, Adobe Photoshop 3.04 and a statistical significance was determined between groups in term of teeth positions and ages. Results were as follow ; 1. Central incisor looked darker than lateral incisor(p<0.05), but lateral incisor and canine showed a similar lightness. 2. Central incisor showed more greenish color than lateral incisor and canine(p<0.05). 3. Canine showed higher yellowish value than central and lateral incisors(p<0.05). 4. Central incisor and canine showed no difference with aging. But in lateral incisor, teeth in fifth decade were lighter than those of third(p<0.05) and teeth in third decade were more reddish and yellowish than those of fourth decade(p<0.05).