Shade Selection in Esthetic Dentistry: A Review

When fabricating a restoration, patient satisfaction with the shade match is essential. The patient's level of satisfaction may not be the same as that of the dental practitioner. Esthetic expectations have dramatically increased in the last few years. Color and shade determination are generally considered difficult in dental practice. Most prostheses fail esthetically owing to improper shade selection. A good understanding of color shade guides is essential for precise shade matching, but the paucity of dental practitioners’ knowledge of color science because of the numerous available shade guides creates a challenge. This comprehensive review sheds light on shade selection, different shade guides, and shade matching devices commonly used in dental practice. Studies published in PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Dentistry and Oral Science Source from the past 15 years were included.