Use of Dental Radiographs for Calculus Detection Post Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy: A scoping review

Purpose Research has shown that calculus detection and removal present a persistent challenge in dentistry. The purpose of this scoping review was to determine the amount of literature regarding the use of dental radiographs for calculus detection and removal following nonsurgical periodontal therapy.Methods The following questions guided the review: 1) To what extent are radiographs incorporated into clinical practice for calculus detection and what factors influence their use or limitations? 2) What role do radiographs play in verifying the effectiveness of calculus removal during periodontal therapy? 3) Should a protocol or clinical guideline for use of dental radiographs post-nonsurgical periodontal therapy be considered? Following PRISMA guidelines, an online search of PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, JBI EBP Database, and Web of Science was conducted. Inclusion criteria were studies conducted on the presence of dental calculus, calculus detection, calculus removal and evaluation methods. Studies with a sample size of fewer than thirty, studies on implants, animals, in vitro studies, and research that did not include calculus detection or removal in the topic were excluded from the review.A total of 346 articles underwent title and abstract screening by three separate reviewers for assessment against the inclusion criteria for the review.Results A total of 59 studies met the inclusion criteria for the scoping review. Only two of the articles explicitly mentioned using radiographs to detect calculus. While a wide range of techniques were employed for calculus detection and removal, no single method was universally effective, and many studies acknowledged the persistent challenge of residual calculus post-nonsurgical periodontal treatment.Conclusion When combined with traditional calculus detection methods, the use of radiographs alone, or in combination with AI techniques, may prove beneficial post-nonsurgical periodontal therapy. While the concept of assessing subgingival calculus via radiographs is not novel, findings highlight a significant gap in the literature validating its effectiveness. Additionally, research on AI assisted radiographic calculus detection should be focused on in-vivo studies to reflect real scenarios and whether these techniques improve patient outcomes.