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 (Delta E) and the translucency parameter (TP) in all of the specimens exposed to electronic cigarettes and conventional cigarettes. The results showed that the highest Delta E mean is for the nano-hybrid composite exposed to conventional cigarettes with 1.74 Delta 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 Delta 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 (Delta E < 2). The micro-hybrid composites showed better color stability as compared to the nano-hybrid composites.