A comparison of methods for the detection of smooth caries

Objectives: This in vitro study evaluated the ability of The Canary System (CS), DIAGNOdent (DD), Spectra Caries Detection Aid (SP), ICDAS II, and radiographic examination (RE) to detect natural smooth surface decay.
Methods: 92 potential healthy and naturally carious sites on smooth surfaces of extracted human teeth were used. A blinded, experienced operator scanned the teeth using CS, DD and SP with three repeat measurements per site. Two blinded dental clinicians independently scored the teeth using ICDAS II. The same two blinded dental clinicians independently ranked radiographs the teeth as ‘1’ for presence of caries and ‘2’ for absence of caries. Where there was disagreement between the clinicians’ scores, the site was re-examined by both clinicians together and a consensus score reached. Polarized Light Microscopy was used to histologically confirm the presence or absence of a caries lesion on each examined site.Correlation between ICDAS II scores and the numerical readings from CS, DD and SP and the scores from RE were determined by Pearson’s coefficient of correlation (R², p < 0.01).
Results: Table 1.
Conclusions: This study showed strong positive correlation between Canary Numbers from CS and ICDAS II scores for smooth surfaces. In contrast, numerical readings and scores from SP, DD and RE demonstrated poor correlation with ICDAS II scores. The strong correlation between CS and ICDAS II imply that these two methods may be combined to increase their effectiveness for detection of caries on smooth surfaces of teeth.