Color stability of posterior nanocomposites treated with colored beverages after brushing and thermocycling: An in vitro study

Aim: Posterior composites are commonly used restorative materials in recent times. Common problem with composite resins is shrinkage and discoloration. Assessment of color stability has been commonly used outcome measurement tools for rating the success and failure of composite resin restorations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of food colorants on the color stability of posterior nanocomposites. Materials and Methods: Five commercially available posterior composite resins tested were divided into five groups: A––SureFil SDR, B––Clearfil Majesty (CFM), C––Ever X, D––Tetric Evo Ceram (TEC) bulk-fill, and E––Filtek Z350. After initial baseline color measurement, beverages such as red wine, coffee, and coca cola were used to condition the samples for a dwell time of 30s each day for 3 months. The conditioned samples were then air dried and subjected to evaluation for reflectance value using reflective spectrophotometer. Results: Significant differences were observed among composite restorative resins tested. In this study, Z350 and CFM showed less color changes and TEC and SDR showed better results than Ever X. The difference between the mean color stability at baseline and after 3 months was found to be statistically significant for all the five resin-based composites. Conclusion: The resin-based composites when subjected to different solutions after 3 months showed changes in their color stability and it reduced with time. The color stability of the composite materials depended on the type of beverages exposed, exposure time, and composition of the tested composite material.