Masking Ability of Bleach Shade Composite Resins in Different Thicknesses

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, the use of bleach shade composite resins has increased due to the high esthetic demands. The aim of the present study was to investigate the masking ability and translucency of several bleach shade composite resins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this in vitro study, 180 discs from 9 bleach shade composite resins of 5 brands (G-aenial Anterior, Gradia Direct, Charisma Diamond, Estelite Sigma Quick, and Renamel Microfill) in thicknesses of 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 mm were prepared. The color parameters of the specimens were measured in a CIE l(∗)a(∗)b(∗) system using a spectrophotometer. Masking ability and translucency parameters were calculated, and the influence of thickness, shade, and composite resin brand on these variables was analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests. RESULTS: Both masking ability and translucency differed significantly among groups (p < 0.001), but only MA was different between different brands (p < 0.001). Higher thicknesses showed lower translucency in all pairwise comparisons (p < 0.001). 0.5 mm-thick specimens had lower masking ability than 1.5 mm- (p=0.016) and 2 mm- (p=0.035) thick ones. However, masking ability of other thickness pairs did not show a significant difference (p > 0.05). G-aenial Anterior and Renamel Microfill had the highest and lowest masking ability. Bleach white shades had lower masking ability and higher translucency than extrawhite bleach shades. CONCLUSION: Translucency and masking ability of bleach shade composite resins differed in different thicknesses, composite resin brands, and shade groups.