Abstract:

Objectives: Detecting early caries lesion on a radiograph may be a difficult task. The aim of this study was to compare four image plate and two film-based systems by evaluating the accuracy of caries detection under standard conditions.  Methods: Two hundred teeth were attached in groups of five onto plastic Lego®blocks. Radiographs were taken from each block under standard bitewing conditions with an X-ray device. Phosphor plates (Dentsply DenOptics®, Dürr Vistascan II®, Soredex Digora FMX®, Soredex Digora Optime®) were exposed at 60 kV and 7 mA. The caries depths were analyzed by eleven observers and microscopic investigation was used to compare the histological findings. The caries depth was calculated as the difference between microscopic and radiological findings.  Results: Data analysis showed a small impact of different sensors on the diagnostic accuracy. The largest differences between microscopic and radiographic caries ratings were found with DenOptix and Digora FMX. When it was calculated over all surfaces no statistical significance was found.  Conclusion: The results suggest that the performance of the four storage phosphor image plate systems is acceptable for the detection of caries. The increase in histological depth of enamel caries was not significantly correlated with radiographic measurements.

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