The effect of the substructure on the colour of samples/restorations veneered with ceramic: A literature review

Objectives iterature review assessed how changing the metal substructure or ceramic substructure affected the colour of samples or restorations after they have been overlaid by veneering ceramic. s and study selection s indexed in journals in MEDLINE were retrieved by searching with the terms “metal, ceramic, substructure, coping, colour and shade.” The articles were screened for further relevant investigations. The colour co-ordinates (L*a*b*) and information relating to the substructure and veneering ceramic were recorded or calculated from the relevant articles. nical studies were identified. It was found that gold-backed samples were lighter and had different a* and b* values from those backed with base metal and silver–palladium. Colour differences were also found between different all-ceramic copings after the application of the veneering ceramic. However, no studies used the same protocol for all-ceramic and metal–ceramic specimens making comparisons impossible. Some of the colour differences observed would have been perceptible in a clinical setting. sions ng the substructure of an extra-coronal restoration changed its colour. This potentially may lead to additional laboratory and clinical time to produce an aesthetic restoration.