Estimating costs for shade matching and shade corrections of fixed partial dentures for dental technicians in Germany: A pilot investigation

Abstract

Aims. To evaluate the additional operating expenses caused by shade matching by dental technicians in the dental practice and by color changes of fixed partial dentures. Methods. A questionnaire was handed out to visitors of the 2010 ADT dental technician congress in Germany. Thirty-one completed questionnaires were evaluated. Results. Mean costs caused by shade matching and shade correction per month were 1269$ (SD = 1278$; n = 25) and per unit of FPD 9.32$ (SD = 8.89$). Conclusions. An improvement of shade matching, shade communication and reproduction should be made in order to minimize the considerable economic damage for dental laboratories.

Key Words::

• Shade matching
• shade correction
• cost
• dental technician

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.