RESEARCH ARTICLE The effect of gender and clinical experience on shade perception Kumar K. Aswini MDS 1 | Venkitachalam Ramanarayanan MDS 2 | Athira Rejithan BDS 1 | Rahul Sajeev BDS 1 | Reshma Suresh MDS 3 1 Department of Prosthodontics, Amrita School of Dentistry, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, India 2 Department of Public Health Dentistry, Amrita School of Dentistry, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, India 3 Department of Periodontics, Amrita School of Dentistry, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, India Correspondence Dr Kumar K. Aswini, Department of Prosthodontics, Amrita School of Dentistry, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS, Ponekkara, PO, Cochin, India. Email: draswini2000@gmail.com Abstract Objective: Shade matching is a critical procedure in prosthetic dentistry. The correct identification of the shade by the doctor as well as the perception of the shade by the dental technician becomes critical due to the high patient expectations. The cur- rent study aims to evaluate the effect of gender and clinical experience on shade per- ception by dental professionals. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 dental professionals with normal color vision who were categorized as dental students, dental doctors, and dental specialists were included in the study. Masked A2 and B2 shades tabs were made to match with a complete set of shade guide. The obtained data were entered, coded, and analyzed using SPSS version 17 for Windows. Results: Total number of participants who identified both shade tabs correctly was 44%. There were no statistically significant differences among the gender or the clini- cal experience with regard to correct identification of shade tabs. Conclusion: Within its limitations of fewer number (two) of shade tabs for compari- son, the study concludes that multiple opinions may be taken clinically irrespective of the gender or clinical experience as gender and experience do not have a significant role to play for shade matching in prosthetic and restorative dentistry. KEYWORDS color, gender, operative dentistry, prosthesis, prosthodontics 1 | INTRODUCTION Shade matching is a critical procedure in prosthetic dentistry, as it matches the shade of the prosthesis being fabricated to the remaining natural teeth present. A closer scrutiny of shade matching procedure and its communication was called in due to the increased esthetic demand coupled with high patient expectations. The inappropriate shade selection is the second most reason for the failure and conse- quent repetition in the fabrication of prosthesis. 1 The dental techni- cian who fabricates the prosthesis usually does not see the patient, making him rely on the written prescription by the dentist, which is based on the available shade guides. So it becomes a challenging task for the dentist to select the shade and the technician to perceive it, as the creation of a harmonious smile is mutually dependent on each other. The shade selection may be instrumental 2 or visual. 3 The digital shade selection uses instruments like spectrophotometers and color- imeters. The advantage of instrumental shade selection over visual shade determination rests on its objectivity, quantifiability, and the time required. 4 But these instruments are basically designed for flat surfaces, so the reliability of shade matching on curved surface of tooth is questionable. 5 The lighting conditions are also known to affect instrumental shade matching. 6 Though it is reported that hand- held shade matching lights offer a better matching outcomes, 7 many a Received: 1 April 2019 Revised: 31 July 2019 Accepted: 11 August 2019 DOI: 10.1111/jerd.12520 J Esthet Restor Dent. 2019;1–5. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jerd © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1