Accuracy of CEREC Shade Analysis and Lightroom-Based Photographic Evaluation Compared with a Spectrophotometer: A Pilot In Vivo Study

Abstract

Accurate shade determination remains a key factor in the esthetic success of fixed restorations. This pilot in vivo study evaluated the accuracy of dental color assessment performed by two digital methods—CEREC Shade Analysis and Lightroom-based analysis of calibrated intraoral photographs—compared with a spectrophotometric reference (Vita Easyshade Compact). Four healthy volunteers (80 teeth) were evaluated at the cervical, middle, and incisal thirds, and measured using Vita Classical, Vita 3D-Master, and CIELAB systems. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was used for spectrophotometer–CEREC comparison, and an unequal variance t-test was used for spectrophotometer–Lightroom comparison (α = 0.05). Statistically significant differences were observed between CEREC and Vita Easyshade in all regions except the middle third of the Vita Classical system (p = 0.76). Lightroom-based analysis showed clinically relevant deviations for L* and a* (p < 0.001), while b* values were comparable (p = 0.24). Within the limitations of this pilot study, both CEREC and Lightroom analysis demonstrated lower accuracy than spectrophotometry. These findings suggest that digital shade detection methods may be useful as adjunctive tools but currently require spectrophotometric verification for definitive color selection in restorative dentistry.