Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of DIAGNOdent for in vivo detection of secondary caries on teeth with restorations.
Material and methods: The material comprised 50 restored teeth: 40 teeth restored with amalgam and 10 teeth restored with composite material. Bitewing radiographs were taken of all teeth according to the standard clinical protocol and analysed by 5 observers with respect to secondary caries. The tooth margin of each restoration was carefully scanned with DIAGNOdent and the site of the highest reading and its value was registered in a digital picture. The integrity and the colour (stained/unstained) of the restoration margins were also documented. Then the restoration material was removed and all cavities were examined carefully by two observers together visually and by a probe.
Results: Preliminary results showed that the sensitivity and specificity for DIAGNOdent and conventional radiography for detection of secondary caries were 0.64/0.82 and 0.61/0.91, respectively. For DIAGNOdent, 100% of the teeth in the false positive fraction had stains. Regarding ROC analyses, the Az values were 0.81 and 0.71 for DIAGNOdent and radiography.
Conclusion: Based on our results we conclude that DIAGNOdent may be a valuable adjunct to conventional methods for detection of secondary caries.