Accuracy of tooth shade reproduction by three single lens reflex digital camera set-ups

Statement of Problem. Digital dental camera systems have not been evaluated using different shade guide tabs and compared for accuracy of shade reproduction.Purpose. To evaluate the accuracy of tooth shade reproduction of three SLR digital camera setups by photographing and comparing multiple shade guide tabs.Materials and Method. Seven tabs of different hue, value and chroma from a shade guide (Vita 3D, Vident, U.S.A.) were individually photographed by the three SLR digital camera setups: Canon 30D (Canon U.S.A., Inc.), Fuji S2 Pro (Fujifilm North America Corporation) and a Nikon D200 (Nikon, U.S.A.). The recorded images were transferred to glossy photo paper and digitally to an LCD screen. Evaluators were asked to rank the images by comparing each with the actual 3D shade tabs. The data was analyzed using the ANOVA and Pierson correlation coefficient.Results. All three camera setups performed better with the higher value shade tabs, with Fuji and Nikon outperforming Canon. The shade tabs with the lower value were captured better by the Nikon. All three cameras were less accurate when photographing the middle range of value of shade tabs.Conclusion. The SLR digital cameras perform differently in their color-matching abilities and need to be chosen wisely by dental professionals.