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Comparative Analysis of CBCT vs Intraoral Radiography for Interproximal Caries Detection: A Prospective Diagnostic
S Ganesan1, Kavitha Ramachandran2, Nagaland Tirupati3
1Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Mahatma Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Dental Science, Pondicherry, India.
Background:
Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and intraoral radiography are important imaging modalities for detecting interproximal caries, but their comparative diagnostic accuracy is not well established.
Objective:
This prospective clinical study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of CBCT and intraoral radiography in detecting interproximal caries.
Methods:
A cohort of 248 adult dental samples with suspected or diagnosed interproximal caries underwent both CBCT and intraoral radiography using standardized protocols. Participants with contraindications for CBCT and potential confounding factors were excluded.
Results:
The mean ages of participants in the CBCT and intraoral radiography groups were 35.4 and 34.8 years, respectively, with a balanced gender distribution. High agreement percentages between radiologists and consensus resolutions were observed. CBCT demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy with sensitivity (92.5%), specificity (89.3%), positive predictive value (87.2%), negative predictive value (91.1%), and overall diagnostic accuracy (90.6%). CBCT also showed higher image clarity (82%) and diagnostic confidence (88%) compared to intraoral radiography.
Conclusion:
CBCT offers enhanced diagnostic accuracy and image quality for detecting interproximal caries compared to intraoral radiography.
