Radiographic evaluation of occlusal caries: effect of training and experience

The purpose of this study was to investigate what effect differing levels of didactic education and clinical experience have on the ability to diagnose occlusal caries from radiographs. Freshman and senior dental students and dental school faculty were asked to evaluate bitewing radiographs for the presence of occlusal caries and for a recommendation for restorative treatment. The agreement between histologic and radiographic diagnosis was assessed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and interexaminer agreement. It was concluded that dental students and faculty did differ in their abilities to evaluate radiographs for occlusal caries, and that education and clinical experience especially affected interexaminer agreement.