Emerging Technologies for Dentin Caries Detection-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Dental diagnostics
• Caries detection technologies
• Non-invasive oral health assessment

Background:

• Assessing non-cavitated dentin caries using non-ionizing, non-invasive methods can yield ambiguous results.
• Emerging technologies offer potential for improved caries detection accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the diagnostic accuracy of novel technologies for non-cavitated dentin caries detection.
• To evaluate methods including laser fluorescence (LF), fluorescence cameras (FC), and optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines.
• Inclusion of 34 studies published between 2011-2021.
• Subgroup analysis based on surface (occlusal/proximal) and study setting (in vivo/in vitro).

Main Results:

• In vitro studies showed good diagnostic ability for LF (AUC=0.803) and FC (AUC=0.845) on occlusal surfaces.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) demonstrated outstanding performance with an overall AUC of 0.945.
• High heterogeneity observed across review groups.

Conclusions:

• Laser fluorescence and fluorescence cameras show promise for occlusal caries detection.
• Optical coherence tomography exhibits high diagnostic accuracy.
• Further well-designed studies are crucial for validating these technologies, especially for proximal caries.