Knowledge and Awareness of Tooth Shade Selection Principles among Senior Dental Students, Interns, and General Dentists of Hail Province of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: The study's objective was to ascertain the knowledge and practices of dental students in their final year, interns, and general practitioners regarding the protocols and principles of shade choosing. Methods: Structured questionnaires that were assigned to participants at random were used to gather data. The study was made available online through dental frame groups on WhatsApp and social media sites like Twitter. 102 dentists were conveniently chosen as a sample, encompassing dental students, interns, and general practitioners in their final year of study. The outcomes were examined using the Chi-square test. Results: The analysis shows that there was no influence of gender on shade choosing. There were no statistically significant (p > 0.05) differences between the educational level with the exception of a visual method for shade selection, the time required to determine the shade, define the shade by natural light or unite light, circumferential factors, and lipstick & clothes affect the shade selection (p < 0.05) difference among variables were recorded. For the experience level, when determining the shade, the time required to determine the shade plays a significant role in shade selection. Circumferential factors and lipstick and clothes affect the shade selection (p < 0.05) differences among variables were found. Conclusions: Compared to dental students and interns, general dentists had a greater understanding of and familiarity with the fundamentals of selecting tooth color. Hence, we must make improvements to meet the justifiably high standards of care that our patients have come to expect from us.