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Radiographic diagnosis of dental caries
1Department of Dental Diagnostic Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78229, USA. dove@uthscsa.edu
Journal of Dental Education
|November 9, 2001
Summary
Radiographic diagnosis of dental caries may be valuable, but a systematic review found insufficient evidence due to strict criteria. Further research is needed to establish guidelines for diagnostic methods.
Area of Science:
- Dentistry
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Public Health
Background:
- A systematic review evaluated radiographic diagnosis of dental caries for a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Conference.
- The review covered dental literature published between 1966 and 1999.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address limitations in a systematic review concerning radiographic methods for dental caries diagnosis.
- To highlight how specific inclusion/exclusion criteria may have underestimated the diagnostic utility of radiography, particularly for proximal caries.
Main Methods:
- The systematic review employed well-defined search, inclusion, and exclusion criteria.
- Studies were included only if sensitivity and specificity data were available; receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were excluded.
Main Results:
- The review's criteria led to a conclusion of poor strength of evidence for radiographic caries diagnosis.
- This does not negate the diagnostic value of radiography but indicates inadequate validation under the review's specific parameters.
Conclusions:
- The current evidence, based on the systematic review's criteria, is insufficient to fully validate radiographic methods for dental caries diagnosis.
- Development of guidelines for assessing diagnostic methods is recommended to improve future study designs and their critical appraisal.