Resin infiltration · bleaching · ageing · staining · re‑bleaching

Color Atlas of Resin‑Infiltrated White Spot Lesions

Reference tool for CIELAB colour values across the complete treatment cycle. Enter a measured colour, choose treatment group and stage, and see where it lies in the atlas: within the reference interval, borderline or deviating – with ΔE to the reference and Cohen’s d.

4treatment groups
9stages T1 – T9
95 / 99 %bootstrap intervals for L*, a*, b*, ΔE
Colour atlas – measured mean colour per stageMean L*, a*, b* of the selected group at T1–T9, rendered approximately in sRGB (D65, from calibrated photographs); ΔE relative to the individual baseline (T0). n = 15 per group.
ΔE < 3.7 – below the clinical thresholdΔE ≥ 3.7 – clinically relevant differenceClick a tile to select that stage.
T1WSL creation, 21‑day pH cycling
T2Resin infiltration
T3Bleaching (ICW in‑office, IAW at‑home)
T414 days distilled water
T5Thermocycling 5,000 cycles
T6Coffee staining day 6
T7Coffee staining day 12
T8Re‑bleaching, all groups
T914 days distilled water

Treatment group and stage

Select the group that matches your protocol and the stage at which the colour was measured.

Click a stage on the timeline.

CIELAB colour values (mean ± SD)

Enter the mean of your measurement. The standard deviation is optional; if given, it is used for the pooled effect size and checked against the reference variability. Decimal comma or point – both work.

Enter ↵ evaluates

Evaluation

ParameterYour valueReference mean95 % CI99 % CIStatusReading

Position in the colour atlas

Reference trajectory of the selected group through the a*/b* colour plane (T1 → T9, means with 95 % CI) and the L* lightness scale; your value is marked.

Reference means T1–T9Selected stageYour value

Colour impression and ΔE

Approximate sRGB rendering (D65) of your value and of the reference mean.

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How to read the verdict

Within range – your mean lies inside the 95 % confidence interval of the reference mean for this group and stage.

Borderline – your mean lies between the 95 % and the 99 % interval: a minor deviation; check measurement conditions and protocol alignment.

Deviation – your mean lies outside the 99 % interval: verify calibration, setup and group/stage assignment before interpreting the result.

Cohen’s d of your measurement is (your mean − reference mean) / SD, with the reference SD or, if you enter one, the pooled SD. |d| 0.2–0.49 small, 0.5–0.79 medium, ≥ 0.8 large, ≥ 1.2 very large. ΔE*ab to the reference mean is reported against the clinical threshold of 3.7. Reference effect sizes describe each stage relative to T1 within the same group.

Reference data and method

Reference values are bootstrap estimates (5,000 resamples with replacement, n = 15 specimens per group and stage) of the mean and standard deviation of L*, a* and b* with 95 % and 99 % percentile confidence intervals for the four groups at the nine post‑baseline stages T1–T9. They derive from the in‑vitro study on resin‑infiltrated white spot lesions (60 extracted human third molars; standardized digital photography with grey‑card calibration, conversion to CIELAB). Reference ΔE values are calculated against the individual baseline (T0) of each specimen.

Groups: URG untreated control · LIG lesion + infiltration · ICW lesion + infiltration + in‑office bleaching (25 % H₂O₂, 4 × 15 min) · IAW lesion + infiltration + at‑home bleaching (10 % carbamide peroxide, 8 h/day for 5 days). All groups were thermocycled (5,000 cycles, 5–55 °C), stained in freshly brewed coffee for 12 days and re‑bleached (URG, LIG, ICW in‑office; IAW at‑home).

The tool contains the complete reference database and runs entirely in the browser; no data are transmitted or stored. It is a research and teaching aid, not a medical device.