Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Detection and Removal of Tooth-Colored Composite Resin Using the Fluorescence-Aided Identification Technique
Published on: July 27, 2022
The influence of amalgam fillings on the detection of approximal caries by cone beam CT: in vitro study
T Kulczyk1, M Dyszkiewicz Konwińska, M Owecka
11 Department of Biomaterials and Experimental Dentistry, Section of Dental Radiology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
Objectives:
The aim of this CBCT investigation on the detection of caries was to assess the influence of artefacts produced by the presence of amalgam fillings located in the vicinity.
Methods:
102 non-cavitated pre-molar and molar teeth were placed in blocks of silicone with approximal contacts consisting of 3 sound or carious teeth and 1 mesial-occlusal-distal amalgam-filled tooth in-between. Radiographs of all the teeth were recorded using the CBCT system (NewTom™ 3G; QR Srl, Verona, Italy; field of view, 9 inches). Data from the CBCT unit were reconstructed and sectioned in the mesiodistal tooth plane. Images were evaluated twice by two observers, using a five-step confidence scale. After the CBCT examination, the teeth were individually sectioned in the mesiodistal direction with a diamond saw. Using a light microscope at ×40 magnification, the true morphological status of all approximal surfaces was established.
Results:
Sensitivity of the CBCT for the detection of caries on surfaces located proximally and distally to an amalgam filing ranged from 0.27 to 0.30 for enamel and from 0.47 to 0.56 for dentin. Specificity values for enamel proximal and distal lesions were 0.48 and 0.53, respectively, for enamel and 0.33 to 0.38, respectively, for proximal and distal dentin cases. Intra-observer reliability was 0.84, and interobserver reliability was 0.49.
Conclusions:
Owing to its low specificity, scans from a CBCT examination should not be used to determine the presence of demineralization of the tooth surface when amalgam fillings are present in the region of interest.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT
01:10Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
01:24X-ray Imaging
01:18Effects of EDTA on End-Point Detection Methods
In the visual method, metal-ion indicators (metallochromic dyes), which have distinct colors in their free and complex forms, are added to the mixture to signal the titration's end point. They form stable complexes with metal ions, but these complexes are weaker than the corresponding metal–EDTA complexes. As a...