Study of Prevalence of Color Blindness among Dental Students at Damascus University

Abstract

Background and aim: Dental profession depends on accuracy of all dental procedures especially color matching of treated teeth. Dentist should have high ability on color differentiating to reach the best esthetic results. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of color blindness at a sample of dental students at Damascus University.

Materials and methods: the study was conducted on 124 dental students at Damascus University during 2018-2019. They were tested for color blindness using Ishihara plates.

Results: the male students were 52 (42%) whereas the female were 72 (58%). The normal male were 37 (71%) out of all male students. The students who are suffering from color blindness were distributed as follows: high ability of differentiating (13.5%), medium (9.6%) and low (5.8%).

Normal females were 65 (90%) out of all female students. The students who are suffering from color blindness were distributed as follows: high ability of differentiating (6.9%), medium (2.8%) and low (0%).

Conclusion: it can be concluded that color blindness is present at a worrying percentage of dental students. This study recommends that all dental students should be examined for color blindness before being accepted at the dental school.