Diagnosis of initial carious lesion by clinical and conventional radiographic methods in comparison to direct digital radiography

الملخص EN

Background: Digital radiographic system is still not widely used in routine dental practice.

Their superiority in the early detection of carious lesion compared to clinical examination and conventional radiography is still questioned.

For this reason this study was designed.

Materials and Methods: Children aged 7-9 years attending the dental clinic were examined for initial caries clinically using d1-4, D1-4 index.

Two radiographic images were taken for posterior teeth, in addition to a direct digital radiograph following parallel technique.

Results: For both dentitions, the direct digital radiographs were more precise in the detection of decayed surfaces compared to both clinical and conventional radiographic examinations.

Statistically significant differences were recorded.

Results however varied when studying lesions according to grades of severity as clinical examinations appeared to be sufficient in caries detection.

Conclusion: Clinical examination need to be supplemented by radiography in the diagnosis of early lesion.

Key words: Initial carious lesion, digital radiography.

(J Bagh Coll Dentistry 2007; 19(1): 77-80).