At the 2017 International Dental Show in Cologne, VITA Zahnfabrik adopted a “perfect match” theme to demonstrate the importance of accurate tooth shade determination. The company is known for developing and producing perfectly harmonized material systems that enable durable, functional and esthetic restorations. “A key factor in prosthetic success is the accurate determination of the tooth shade,” explains Anne Stephan, marketing manager for shade communication at VITA Zahnfabrik. Tooth shade is individualized for each person, and accurate shade determination avoids mistakes and time-consuming adjustments.

Systematic search

Within this theme, the VITA team was looking for a face to be the “perfect match” for VITA Zahnfabrik during the IDS. The process was identical for all female and male candidates: following digital shade determination with VITA Easyshade V at the VITA fair booth, the participants had the opportunity to have a photo taken of their individual tooth shade. From all the photos, the favorites were selected through online voting on VITA's homepage. The top three candidates from each of the five days of the show, reached the final round. In a final voting step, a winner was selected from 15 finalists. The “perfect match” winner is now invited to participate in a professional photo shoot in Berlin.

The person behind VITA's face of 2017

The winner of VITA’s 2017 “perfect match” is Mrs. Nađa Ćuk, a recent dental graduate from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Last year, the 26-year old successfully completed her study of dentistry at the University of Sarajevo and has been working in a family-owned practice since then with her mother and sister. Ćuk traveled to Cologne with some of her university friends to gather information about new products and trends in the dental market. “We work with the VITA classical A1-D4 shade guide and our technicians use the denture teeth made by VITA”, said the surprised winner, during her visit at VITA's fair booth. The process to participate was quick and easy. “My tooth shade was determined within a few seconds and a photo was taken.”

The winner: a young female dentist

Ćuk understands that simple and precise digital tooth color determination with the VITA Easyshade V can be presented in practice as an advantage in order to achieve true color restorations. In her work as a dentist, what she likes most is to restore her patients' smiles. “I am glad when patients are pleased with the final, esthetic result,” she says. In her spare time, the young dentist likes to travel and uses endurance training to stay fit. She is currently training for a marathon in Sarajevo, which will be held in September. As the winner of “VITA's face of 2017,” Ćuk has been invited to a professional photo shoot in the German fashion capital of Berlin. Congratulations from VITA Zahnfabrik and we hope you enjoy the experience! We look forward to viewing the final photos.

Overwhelming response

Stephan was extremely satisfied with the outcome of the competition. “We were quite surprised by the positive response we received and had not anticipated attracting so many participants from all over the world!” More than 200 participants entered the “perfect match” competition at VITA's fair booth. “Thousands of people supported us online in our search for VITA's perfect face of 2017 and cast their votes”, said Stephan, who was pleased with the amount of voting participation.