Evaluation the Performance of General Dentists in Using the Principles of Porcelain Shade Selection, Shiraz, Iran, 2012

Porcelain shade selection is very important in dentistry. There are some criteria for selecting the correct shade, but the extent to which these criteria are employed is not clear. The present study aimed to evaluate the performance of general dentists in using the principles of porcelain shade selection in Shiraz in 2012.
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 82 general dentists in Shiraz. While the dentists were selecting the shade, we evaluated the use of principles of shade selection (look angle, eye posture, and distance). Then, the data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical software.
None of the study dentists used commercial light sources and 52.4% benefited from daylight. Moreover, 53.4%, 57.3%, and 69.5% of the dentists had correct eye posture, correct look angle, and correct distance, respectively. The results showed a significant relationship between working experience and correct shade selection (P=0.03).
The results of the present study demonstrated that about half of the general dentists did not follow the principles of shade selection. Thus, dentists’ attention should be attracted to the principles of shade selection. Also, further studies are required to focus on the reasons for not observing these principles.