Effect of ceramic translucency and luting cement shade on the color masking ability of laminate veneers

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ceramic material types, degree
of veneer translucency, and luting cement shades on masking the underlying dark dental substrate
to achieve best esthetics.
Materials and Methods: In this in vitro study, 56 specimens each of 0.5‑mm thickness were
fabricated from two esthetic veneer materials Vita Enamic and Vita Suprinity, with two different
translucencies, i.e., HT and T. To simulate the color of a dark underlying dental structure, background
discs with C3 shade were fabricated using resin composite. The ceramic specimens with varying
translucencies were cemented on the dark background of the resin composite with A1 and
opaque white shades of resin luting cement. Color difference (ΔE) values from a reference color
(A1 shade) were calculated using a spectrophotometer. The results were then statistically analyzed
using three‑way ANOVA test (α = 0.05).
Results: The ΔE values of both ceramic systems were affected by both the degree of veneer
translucency (P = 0.00) and the luting agent shade (P = 0.016). The use of an opaque luting agent
and T translucency resulted in a decrease in the ΔE* values for all ceramics tested, regardless to
the material type. Suprinity and Enamic showed similarity in the masking ability of dark substrate
after cementation.
Conclusion: None of the 0.5‑mm veneers of the two ceramic systems could reach A1 shade
without a detectable color difference after cementation. The change in degree of veneer translucency
was more effective than the change in luting agent shade in masking the underlying dark substrate.
Key Words: Ceramics, esthetics, resin cement