Effect of conventional and electronic cigarettes smoking on the color stability and translucency of tooth colored restorative materials: An in vitro analysis

Abstract

This in vitro study compared the effects of conventional and electronic cigarettes on the aesthetics (color stability and translucency) of two types of composite resins: micro and nano-hybrid. Methods: A total of 120 specimens from two different composite materials Filtek Z250 XT (Nano-hybrid, 3M) and Filtek Z250 (Micro-hybrid, 3M) were divided into four groups (n = 30); shade A2 was used. The samples were exposed to conventional and electronic cigarette smoke via a custom made chamber device. The color values and measurements were recorded using a spectrophotometer before and after the exposure. The color and translucency were evaluated using the three-dimensional CIE Lab. Results: There was a significant change in the color (∆E) and the translucency parameter (TP) in all of the specimens exposed to electronic cigarettes and conventional cigarettes. The results showed that the highest ∆E mean is for the nano-hybrid composite exposed to conventional cigarettes with 1.74 ∆E while the same material is 0.64 under the electronic cigarettes and the difference is significant with (p < 0.05). The micro-hybrid composite data showed less changes in color under both exposures with 0.85 ∆E mean under the conventional cigarette smoke and 0.48 under the electronic cigarette smoke with (p < 0.004). Conclusions: The conventional cigarette smoke has more effect on the color stability of the composite resins than electronic cigarettes. From a clinical point of view, the effect of smoke exposure on the tested specimens’ color, for the time duration to which the specimens were exposed, were moderate (∆E < 2). The micro-hybrid composites showed better color stability as compared to the nano-hybrid composites.