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Further statistics in dentistry, Part 5: Diagnostic tests for oral conditions
A Petrie1, J S Bulman, J F Osborn
1Biostatistics Unit, Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences, University College London, 256 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD. a.petrie@eastman.ucl.ac.uk
Abstract:
A diagnostic test is a simple test, sometimes based on a clinical measurement, which is used when the gold-standard test providing a definitive diagnosis of a given condition is too expensive, invasive or time-consuming to perform. The diagnostic test can be used to diagnose a dental condition in an individual patient or as a screening device in a population of apparently healthy individuals.
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