Diagnosis of dental caries: a comparison of three radiograph viewing techniques

Interproximal caries scores for identical surfaces were compared across the three visualization techniques. First, the scores obtained by the naked eye method were compared to the scores obtained using the magnified view box. The second comparison looked at difference in scores between the magnified view box technique and the D.E.T.E.C.T. machine. A third comparison between the naked eye technique scores and the D.E.T.E.C.T machine scores was also made for each of the two operators. The comparison of caries score between the magnified view box and the digital image enhancement D.E.T.E.C.T. machine showed a more homogenous result. More caries was scored by both operators using the digital image enhancement system than with the view box technique. The difference in caries scores between the two techniques assigned for every surface by the two operators were statistically significant (p < 0.05). It is clear from this study that image enhanced interpretations of conventional radiographs is a necessary step to fine-tune the caries diagnosis process.