Clinical evaluation of a dental color analysis system: The Crystaleye Spectrophotometer®

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical performance of the Crystaleye Spectrophotometer (R), a dental color analysis system. Methods: Three color-measuring devices (Crystaleye Spectrophotometer (R), CAS-ID1, MSC-2000) were tested and the differences in color measurements among them were evaluated using Scheffe's F-test. Color measurements with the Crystaleye Spectrophotometer (R) were repeated 10 times by the same operator. The color difference (Delta E) between the first and tenth measurements was calculated. The Crystaleye Spectrophotometer (R) was used to measure the color of the maxillary left central incisor under two conditions (light and dark) and the effect of exterior lighting was analyzed to assess the accuracy of measurements. Furthermore, five different operators performed color measurements, and Delta E among the three devices was calculated. The Delta E between the target tooth and the crown of a single maxillary central incisor crown fabricated using data from the Crystaleye Spectrophotmeter (R) was calculated. Color differences between prebleaching and postbleaching were also analyzed with the Crystaleye Spectrophotometer (R) using the parameters Delta E, Delta L*, Delta a*, and Delta b*. Results: The data from the three spectrophotometers were not significantly different. The Delta E during repeated color measurements by the same operator was 0.6. The Delta E between light and dark conditions was 0.9. The data from the five operators were not significantly different. The mean Delta E value between the target tooth and the fabricated crown was 1.2 +/- 0.4, and the mean Delta E value between prebleaching and postbleaching was 3.7 +/- 1.0. Conclusions: The Crystaleye Spectrophotometer (R) is an easy-to-use color analysis system producing accurate color measurements under clinical conditions. (C) 2011 Japan Prosthodontic Society. Published by Elsevier Ireland.