articol-spaveras-2017
CARIOLOGY
CARIES DETECTION WITH LASER FLUORESCENCE DEVICES. LIMITATIONS OF THEIR USE
Practice
Andreas Spaveras1a, Angeliki Tsakanikou2b, Frantzeska Karkazi3c, Maria Antoniadou1d*
1
Department of Operative Dentistry, Dental School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
2
Department of Operative Dentistry, Dental School, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
3
Department of Operative Dentistry, Dental School, Comenius University of Bratislava, Slovakia
a
DMD, Postgraduate Student
b
DMD
c
MD Dr
d
DDS, PhD, Assistant Professor
Received: March 09, 2017
Revised: March 24, 2017
Accepted: April 02, 2017
Published: April 03, 2017
Academic Editor: Dana Cristina Bodnar, DDS, PhD, Professor, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
Cite this article:
Spaveras A, Tsakanikou A, Karkazi F, Antoniadou M. Caries detection with laser fluorescence devices. Limitations of their use. Stoma Edu J. 2017;
4(1):44-51.
ABSTRACT DOI: 10.25241/stomaeduj.2017.4(1).art.4
Background: Dental caries is one of the most prevalent human diseases worldwide. The modern
concept of minimal invasive dentistry includes early detection of incipient caries lesions and its
treatment. Several optical and digital detection methods are available.
Objective: This literature review presents the utility and limitations of laser fluorescence caries
detection devices DIAGNOdent (DD) and DIAGNOdent Pen (DDpen) (KaVo Dental GmbH, Biberach/
Riβ, Germany) for carious lesions on the occlusal surfaces of the permanent dentition.
Data sources: All available in vitro and in vivo studies from Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus
machines corresponding to caries, DIAGNOdent, DIAGNOdent Pen and laser fluorescence as key
words, were reviewed.
Data extraction: Certain limitations of the studies were the inadequate analysis of the experimental
protocols, the widespread sample use of the third molar, mistakes in sample handling and the limited
number of studies evaluating the detection capability of DD and DDPen for secondary caries.
Data synthesis: DD and DDPen are useful devices for caries detection on the occlusal tooth surfaces.
Their main advantages are the very high reproducibility of measurements (>0.90), the ease of
handling and the quantification and monitoring capacity. Their main limitations are the relatively low
specificity for enamel lesions, the necessity of unstained surfaces and absence of plaque and pastes
during measurements and the absence of a universal, clinically functional calibration value (COV).
Conclusion: Further studies are required for more reliable data analysis and clinical interpretation
of the relevant results.
Keywords: caries, DIAGNOdent, DIAGNOdent Pen, laser fluorescence, laser.
1. Introduction so frequent as compared to caries in pits and
Dental caries is one of the most widespread fissures of the posterior teeth. Most commonly,
human diseases around the world and one of occlusal caries occur more often in premolars
the most important problems in contemporary and first molars.3,4 The difficulty of prompt clinical
dentistry. The prevalence of dental caries is higher diagnosis in occlusal areas is due to the anatomical
in the elderly and people of lower socioeconomic features of these surfaces as well as the use of
status. Nevertheless, it affects not only children topical fluoride products. Fluoride can prevent
but also adults.1 A substantial decline of caries the collapse of the superficial enamel layer and
prevalence has been documented during the last influence the remineralization process. Therefore,
decades, especially in the western world, primarily large dentine lesions might be less visible even
due to multiple fluoride products and the caries when they have progressed substantially. This
prevention methods available.2 phenomenon reaches the percentage of 10-40%
Nowadays, dental caries in smooth and inter- in molars and it is described as “hidden caries”.5
proximal surfaces of permanent dentition is not The caries disease is an imbalance of the
*Corresponding author:
Dr Maria Antoniadou, DDS, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Operative Dentistry, Dental School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
Thivon 2 Str., PO Box 11527, Goudi, Athens, Greece, Tel/Fax: +306.944.342.546, e-mail: mantonia@dent.uoa.gr
44 Stoma Edu J. 2017;4(1):44-51. http://www.stomaeduj.com
CARIES DETECTION WITH LASER FLUORESCENCE DEVICES. LIMITATIONS OF THEIR USE
dynamic processes of demineralization and diagnosis in occlusal surfaces.9,10,11 Lussi et al.12, in
Practice
remineralization of the teeth and in its initial stages an vitro study, showed that the sensitivity of visual
it can be halted. Enamel demineralization is a daily observation as a diagnostic method becomes
process that does not necessarily lead to caries. double in case of dentine caries (0.62) when
Early intervention can turn an active lesion into compared to that of enamel (0.31). Gimenez et
an inactive one. If the degree of demineralization al.13 in a systematic review report that publications
does not exceed a certain point, the process may in respect to the accuracy of optical observation as
come to a standstill, even if the enamel surface has a ‘diagnostic instrument’ do not exhibit sufficient
been minimally affected. The conversion of a lesion qualitative methodology as far as the selection of
from active to inactive requires early diagnosis the samples is concerned. They also underline that
and careful monitoring, in order to minimize the visual observation constitutes a reliable a clinical
restorative intervention.6 From this point of view, caries detection method. In another systematic
modern caries detection means should permit review, Bader et al.14 mention that the optical
monitoring of the caries process before the early observation displays high specificity, but low
lesion progresses to an extensive cavity. efficiency for sensitivity and repeatability.
The main objective of this paper is to give an As compared to the above laboratory studies,
overview of the use and utility of the two available clinical studies report higher specificity than
caries detection devices of the occlusal surfaces of sensitivity in response to visual observation.15
the permanent dentition, DIAGNOdent (DD) and The difficulty with the clinical studies is the lack of
DIAGNOdent Pen (DDPen) (KaVo Dental GmbH, proper identification of the healthy dental tissues
Biberach/Riβ, Germany), whose function is based by the devices due to the frequent presence
on the fluorescence laser beam. of dental calculus, bacterial plaque, saliva and
food remnants. The use of established optical
2. The criteria for the evaluation of caries calibration systems such as ICDASII or Ekstrand’s
diagnostic means criteria seems to contribute to a more accurate
The criteria used for the diagnostic evaluation of caries detection system, given the fact that they
caries are expressed through specific indicators provide guidelines and a rational quantification of
which are defined in numerical scales and form lesions.15 The combined use of visual observation
the diagnostic accuracy of a test. Specificity and and tactile sensation with the use of metal probe
sensitivity are the two dimensions, widely used does not appear to significantly improve the
for the description and quantification of several diagnostic capability of direct visual observation.
diagnostic techniques. Specificity refers to the Agnes et al. emphasize the possibility of damaging
correct identification of the healthy dental tissues, the adjacent tooth with the sharp edge of the
while sensitivity refers to the correct identification probe.16 On the other hand, the visual observation
of caries. The above indicators are expressed as assisted by loops of 1,5X to 4,5X shows increased
values between 0 and 1 (100%). As these values detection sensitivity.17
approach 1, the qualitative effect is higher and they Bitewing radiographs are a useful means of
should be at least 0.75 for sensitivity and above 0.85 detecting interproximal caries; however, their
for specificity.7 Methods with low sensitivity can advantage is quite limited to occlusal carious
lead to suboptimal treatment, whereas methods lesions, due to the overlay phenomenon.18
with low specificity, to overtreatment. The caries Furthermore, 40-60% of the tooth’s metal ions
detection methods with low sensitivity should be have to be lost so as the lesion becomes visible
combined with techniques that are distinguished radiographically. This is another reason why the
by high specificity and vice versa. radiographic imaging is not used clinically for the
The accuracy of a method in most studies occurs detection of incipient caries lesions.19
from the sensitivity and specificity values and is Therefore, the most important limitations of
often described by the area below the ROC curve conventional diagnostic tools are their low
(Receiver Operating Characteristics). The accuracy sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility, the
of the sum of the measurements obtained in difficulty to determine the activity of the lesion
a procedure is called reliability or otherwise and the inability to monitor its progression. For
repeatability and has a key role in the effectiveness all these reasons, either more accurate detection
of the procedure. methods or a combination of the above methods
2.1. Conventional caries diagnostic means should be used. In this respect, the dental
In everyday clinical practice, direct visual technology has invested in the development of
observation is the most established method of numerous caries detection devices. Some of these
tooth decay detection as it is easy and inexpensive. diagnostic tools are based on infrared radiation,
This method is mainly based on the subjective impedance spectroscopy, digital imaging as in
interpretation during visual examination and is the DIFOTI system (Electro-Optical Sciences N.Y.),
often combined with radiographs and tactile photo thermal radiometry as in the Canary System
examination with a metal probe.8 (Quantum Dental Technologies, Canada) as well
Many studies indicate that visual observation is as on visible spectrum fluorescence and laser
characterized by lower sensitivity in relation to fluorescence.
specificity with the latter exceeding 0.85 for caries
Stomatology Edu Journal 45
CARIES DETECTION WITH LASER FLUORESCENCE DEVICES. LIMITATIONS OF THEIR USE
2.2. Fluorescence of sound and carious tooth with this technique.
Practice substance
Fluorescence is the property of a medium 3. DIAGNOdent Device and DIAGNOdent Pen
to absorb low wavelength radiation such as Device
ultraviolet (1-400nm) emitting longer wavelengths 3.1. DIAGNOdent Device
of visible light (430-450nm). Teeth have the The light source of DD is a diode laser with a
ability to emit fluoresce. This phenomenon can wavelength of 655nm and a maximum power of
be observed when the incident radiation is 1mW. The red laser beam is transferred through
shown in the ultraviolet spectrum, as in the cases a descending optical fiber to its edge, made of
of exposure to black light illumination or when sapphire. Two different tip designs are available.
the person is found at high altitude. The primary The wedge-shaped which is used for occlusal
fluorescence of teeth, otherwise known as auto- surfaces and the straight one designed for smooth
fluorescence, arises from the internal biological dental surfaces. The excitation optical fiber, i.e.
structures of the cells, with responsible elements one that carries the light beam on the tissues,
being several enzymes, vitamins, uranium glass is surrounded by nine concentric optical fibers
and endogenous fluorophores, present in dentin of smaller diameter that collect the fluorescent
and enamel.20 Dentin emits more autofluo- radiation together with the surrounding light
rescence than enamel, with the emission peak from the dental surfaces. All optical fibers have
being at 450nm. Although the exact chemical a diameter of 40 microns and they are carved at
mechanism of tooth auto-fluorescence has not yet their end to receive or transmit the light radiation
been ascertained, the greater amount of organic in similar manner.25 A specially designed filter pre-
components of dentine seems to be the reason for vents the diffusion of ambient light (λ<655nm)
its higher fluoresce values.21 It has been found that and thus only the fluorescent light is collected and
decayed tissues emits more fluoresce than healthy converted into an electrical signal. Then, the signal
ones upon stimulation by red laser or infrared is displayed on two LED screens and expressed as
irradiation. This seems to be the result of both a integer number between 0 and 99. One screen
demineralization processes and the presence of displays the current measured value while the
bacteria byproducts in the decayed tissue.22 other records the maximum value of detection.22
2.3. Caries detection methods based on visible 3.1.1. Correlation detection values of DD
spectrum fluorescence Most clinical studies currently use the suggested
Quantitative fluorescence (Quantitative Light – measurements [Cut-Off Values (COV)] of the DD
induced Fluorescence, QLF) is a method used as they appeared in the clinical study of Lussi et
to detect the demineralization of enamel in the al.12 In this study, seven examiners evaluated 332
early stages. The technique relies on the ability of occlusal surfaces of 240 patients. After histological
enamel to emit strong auto-fluorescence under examination, they found that the values between
certain circumstances. Hypomineralised enamel 0-13 correspond to healthy dental tissues; values
shows a decrease demission of fluorescence between 14-20 correspond to enamel caries
spectrum as compared to that of healthy enamel. and values between 21-29 to dentin caries.12 In
With the use of the QLF method, demineralized the same study, the restorative intervention is
areas can be detected before they become suggested for values between 20-29. However,
clinically visible, since the sensitivity of the specific Tranaeus et al.26 suggested lower intervention
technique is particularly high. Limitations of this values.20-25 Anttonen et al.27 suggested intervention
technique were found in the detection of dentine values greater than 30, emphasizing that for values
caries also in the deep enamel lesions (400μm), greater than 40, the probability of overtreatment
where the results were not so accurate.23 is greatly reduced. Heinrich-Weltzien et al.28,
2.4. Caries detection devices based on laser compared the validity of various proposed COV,
fluorescence concluding that the superficial lesions in dentin
The difference in fluorescence between sound (D3) with rates between 17-21 showed the lowest
and carious tooth structures was the fundamental discrepancy (0,48 to 0,51). For deeper dentin
concept behind the development of devices lesions (D4), the manufacturer’s suggested values
capable of quantifying the decayed tissue (>34) had the best performance (0.51). Therefore,
fluorescence. Methods based on fluorescence the proposed correlations of COV for DD vary
are divided into those that use visible spectrum considerably between studies and have changed
stimulating rays such as the QLF and those based several times even by the manufacturer. As a
on laser ray fluorescence such as the DIAGNOdent general observation, it is worth mentioning, that
and the DIAGNOdent Pen (KaVo Dental GmbH, laboratory studies use lower COV for dentin caries
Birebach/Riβ, Germany).23 Sundström et al.24 in a in relation to clinical studies.
pioneering study, stimulated carious and sound 3.1.2. Effect of exogenous factors on DD
tooth structures by laser beams of different measurements
wavelengths (337nm, 488nm, 515nm, 633nm), and Exogenous factors that could possibly influenceDD
calculated the emitted fluorescence. The 488nm values are various toothpastes and polishing
wavelength was selected as the most appropriate pastes. In an in vitro study, the potential effect of
wavelength for the detection of incipient caries ten different polishing pastes and four toothpastes
46 Stoma Edu J. 2017;4(1):44-51. http://www.stomaeduj.com
CARIES DETECTION WITH LASER FLUORESCENCE DEVICES. LIMITATIONS OF THEIR USE
on DD measurements was examined, after their repeatability of the measurements for the DD
Practice
application to occlusal surfaces of molars and between examiners was very high (0.957). Enamel
premolars. While toothpaste did not affect at all (D1) and middle dentin (D3) have a specificity of
the DD values, seven of the polishing pastes have D1:0.54, and D3:0.91 respectively, whereas the
an effect on the measurements with pumice being sensitivity was D1: 0.91 and D3: 0.70. Therefore,
the leading one. It seems that the intense auto- the ICDASII values were higher than those of DD.
fluorescence of certain polishing pastes may alter The researchers conclude that combining ICDASII
the DD measurements, since their components and DD investigating methods provide better
cannot be completely removed from the pits and diagnostic results.
fissures of the occlusal surfaces of posterior teeth The first combined in vivo/in vitro study for the DD
even after brushing and rinsing.29 Also, Lussi et al.30 device was conducted by Reis et al.35 who studied
in another in vitro study examined the influence the caries detection of 57 third molars, both
of various toothpastes and prophylaxis paste by direct visual observation and DD. The direct
remnants, as well as, powder remnants influencing visual observation showed almost double in vivo
DD readings. The results of this experiment showed, and in vitro repeatability, both between different
that only one toothpaste (Nupro mint/cherry examiners (IR) (0.559) and between measurements
medium, Dentsply De Trey, USA) and one polishing of the same examiner (IA) (0.559) compared to
paste (Clinic, 3M, Bioggio, Switzerland) had a that of DD. This study shows higher sensitivity of
statistically significant effect on the measurements DD measurements than the visual method, which
(p<0.01), after rinsing for 3-6 seconds. These is not an usual finding in laboratory studies. The
formulations contain sticky elements, which in presence of pigments in pits and fissures of the
combination with the high porosity of the decayed occlusal surfaces may explain the above finding.
tissue, are not sufficiently removed and thereby The authors suggest using 19-20 COV for the
increasing the DD measurements. If the teeth are differentiation of healthy versus carious dentin.
not intensely rinsed with water-air combination for They also proposed that the visual observation
at least ten seconds, an incorrect assessment may using ICDASII is quite a reliable caries detection
occur. This is more significant for the long term system.5
monitoring of lesions, rather than the detection of Also in the study of De Paula et al.,35 visual
lesion per se.30 observation gave higher precision values than
3.1.3. Effect of sample storage means in the DD the DD. These findings are in agreement with the
measurements results by Rodrigues et al. and Agnes et al.36,16 The
The different storage means of the samples used combination of detection techniques e.g. visual
in laboratory studies, such as chloramine solutions, observation, radiography and DD seems though
formalin and thymol affect the final measurements to result to more accurate diagnosis of caries as
of DD.31 Kaul et al.32 used 90 extracted molars in mentioned also elsewhere.37 But it should be noted
groups of ten and stored the eight groups in eight that the actual clinical experience of the operator
different solutions
o
and one of them in a frozen can affect the objectivity of the detection, either by
state of -20 C for one year. It was shown that the visual observation or by using devices such as DD.
most reliable method for teeth storing was the Specifically, in a laboratory study, 3 undergraduate
frozen state. According to this statement it has to dental students, 3 general dentists and 3
be noted that only a few in vitro studies so far have academics were asked to evaluate 25 molars by
used samples that were stored in a frozen state, a visual observation and by using DD.
fact that should have an impact upon the clinical The results showed a substantial variation. The
interpretation of the results. sensitivity of the measurements ranged from 0.188
3.1.4. Accuracy and repeatability of DD to 0.769 and the specificity from 0.714 to 0.969.
The characteristics of accuracy and repeatability of The group of the academics recorded the highest
the measurements of the DD and DDPen devices sensitivity of DD (0.667), while the group of the
are well documented. Chu et al.33 mention that general dentists the highest specificity (0.942).
different COV values show different results. In an in A substantial variation of measurements occurred
vivo study using COV by Lussi et al.,12 the sensitivity in respect of sensitivity (0.755-0.953) and
(0.95) and specificity (0.11) differ considerably, specificity (0.755-0.953) of the visual observation,
while for COV=40, the sensitivity (0.70) and with the students reaching the greatest sensitivity
specificity (0.84) differ less. The authors propose (0.80).38 Ideally, a detection technique for the
the combination of visual observation with the use occlusal surfaces must have a very high sensitivity
of DD for caries detection, as it offers better results for D3 and D4 and moderate high specificity for
in terms of specificity and quite good results in detecting enamel caries.
respect to sensitivity. The DD shows higher specificity for lesions at the
Jablonski-Momeni et al.,5 in an in vitro study, level of dentin and lower for enamel lesions, since
examined 181 points of 100 posterior teeth it is unable to identify the healthy tissues from the
comparing the DD detection capability with that carious ones extending to the half of the enamel.
of direct visual observation during ICDASII. The
Stomatology Edu Journal 47
CARIES DETECTION WITH LASER FLUORESCENCE DEVICES. LIMITATIONS OF THEIR USE
The sensitivity of DD can be increased for more 3.2.1. Accuracy and repeatability of DDPen
Practice deep caries, with values of 0.66 in D2 and 1 in D3. Lussi et al.40 compared in vitro the accuracy of
Sensitivity for the D1 level was reported at 0.74.39 caries detection by DD and DDPen. In their study, o
3.2. DIAGNOdent Pen Device 119 third molars, kept in frozen state at -20 C,
The inability of DD to detect approximal caries was were examined. DDpen showed higher specificity
the primary cause of creating the DDPen (Fig.1). (0.71 to 0.91) compared to the DD (0.69-0.79), but
relatively lower sensitivity (0.78 to 0.91) against the
latter (0.81 to 0.96).
The main limitation of the study is that only third
of the molars were used, whose occlusal surface
varies considerably in different individuals as
compared to other posterior teeth. Kuhnisch et
al.41 found that the reproducibility of DD of the
same examiner (0.89) was similar to that of DDPen
(0.88), while between different examiners reliability
(0.86) was noted.
Sinanoglou et al.42 evaluated in vivo the occlusal
surfaces of 217 permanent molars and premolars,
Figure 1. The handpiece of the DDPen.
comparing the visual observation (ICDASII), DDPen
and bitewing radiography.
The DDPen follows the basic principles of the DD One week after the first measurements, the patients
model. The main difference is the design of its tip were invited for re-examination and 82 teeth were
which can be rotated to the longitudinal axis and reassessed with the above-mentioned techniques.
thus permitting the detection of approximal caries. Only the teeth with dentine caries were examined
Also, DDPen uses the same optical sapphire fiber (64 of 227) and the clinical depth of the lesion was
for the distribution of radiation and the detection measured.
of tooth fluorescence without the interference of The reliability of DDPen was moderate to good,
other optical fibers (Fig. 2). with AUC 0.55-0.64, but noticeably inferior in
contrast to that of visual observation (AUC 0.71-
0.76) that reached higher specificity values than
sensitivity. At this point, it should be mentioned that
the results of the evaluation for visual observation
could have been affected by the subjective skills
and the level of the examiner’s acquaintance with
the device.15
Moreover, the device detection capability was
better for dentin caries (D3), a finding supported
by many other studies.14,15,43 The reproducibility for
DDPen between different examiners (0.61, 0.65)
Figure 2. The DDPen tip over an occlusal surface of a
and the same one (0.59. 0.65) was relatively low
molar.
(16.42).
Two different tips are available; a cylindrical one It is worth noting that in the study by Seremidi
(CYL) with a diameter of 1.1 mm and a conical one et al.17 the teeth were stored in tap water for a
(CON) with a diameter of 0.7mm. Although, the long time, which is likely to have an impact on the
diameter of the CON is about 0.3mm thinner than fluorescence levels of the teeth.
that of DD and thus it would be expected to show The study by Achilleos et al.43 revealed low
better accuracy on pits and fissures, it seems that sensitivity values (0.66-0.75) for DDPen, which
there is no significant difference between them40 may be attributed to the fact that the study was
(Fig. 3). focused on the D1 level, where the performance
of this device is reduced compared to the D3
level. Additionally, the relatively small number of
samples38 and the only one week period among
the two measurements were reported as limitations
of this study.
Mortensen et al.,44 focusing on the level of D3,
showed high repeatability for DDPen between
different examiners (0.98). For COV=40, there
was a very high specificity (0.97) but very low
sensitivity (0.07). The authors support the idea that
if the manufacturer’s COV are applied in clinical
practice, there will be a significant reduction of
overtreatment, but also the detection of caries in
Figure 3. The different tips of the DDPen. D3 will be very low.
48 Stoma Edu J. 2017;4(1):44-51. http://www.stomaeduj.com
CARIES DETECTION WITH LASER FLUORESCENCE DEVICES. LIMITATIONS OF THEIR USE
4. Secondary Caries detection with DD and radiographs. The statistically significant difference
Practice
DDPen devices between the minerals of dentin presented in all
There are not many studies evaluating the evaluation periods (p>0.001) shows the highest
detection capability of DD and DDpen for value before the removal of caries (0.74) and the
secondary caries, reported exclusively on the lowest value after 12 months (0.04). This study
occlusal surfaces of permanent dentition. In a evaluated the DD measurements only through
2014 study, four examiners with different clinical the demineralization rate of tooth without any
and dental experience reviewed 60 posterior disclosing measured values of DD or the results of
teeth restored with composite resin, by visual sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility.48
observation (Ekstrand criteria) and DDPen device. As a result, although DD and DDPen show accurate
The reproducibility among the different examiners measurements with high repeatability for the
was very high (0.954). The researchers concluded detection of secondary caries, most authors are
that DDPen is a reliable method for secondary reluctant to their use compared to primary means
caries detection and should be combined with such as the visual and radiographic examination
the visual observation for the correct diagnosis of proposing their combined use.
secondary caries.45
Kositbowornchai et al.46 investigated the detection 5. Conclusions
capability of DD, under occlusal composite DD and DDPen are useful methods for occlusal
restorations, rather than tooth-resin interface. caries detection. Their main advantages are the
From the 100 teeth examined, only half were high reproducibility of measurements (>0.90), the
decayed and part of the caries was left on the ease of handling, the quantification of the carious
pulpal wall. All the teeth were restored with lesions and the monitoring ability. However,
composite resin (Z100 TM, 3 M, St. Paul, MN, they present significant limitations, such as the
USA) and the steps of etching and bonding relatively low specificity for enamel lesions, the
were omitted. The repeatability values between necessity of absence of stains, plaque and pastes
different examiners (from 0.60 to 0.77) were lower during measurements and the absence of a single,
than that of Hamishaki et al.,45 while for the DD clinically functional calibration value (COV). These
showed moderate sensitivity (0.74) and specificity limitations support the view that these means are
(0.84). AUC value of the DD was moderate to good to be used as auxiliary in detecting or monitoring
(0.79) and higher than that of digital radiography caries lesions of questionable activity. Ideally,
(0.65). Also there was no statistically significant all optical and digital caries detection methods
difference in detection (p>0.05) between the two should have sensitivity, specificity, accuracy,
repeatability, easiness in handling and access to all
means. So it was suggested that the amount of
tooth surfaces. Nowadays, under the scope of the
fluorescence of composite resins does not affect
minimally invasive dentistry, it seems necessary
the measurements of DD. However, the device
for professionals to know and use both traditional
is only recommended as an auxiliary means of
and newer methods for incipient caries’ detection
caries detection. These results are similar to an
in order to avoid overtreatment. As in vivo and in
in vitro study which examined the diagnostic
vitro data are based on methodological limitations,
capability of DD in 66 teeth with secondary caries, further studies should be conducted estimating
of which 48 were restored with amalgam and 18 the previous limitations and proceed with a more
with composite resin, where the sensibility was accurate evaluation of the specific devices.
0.77 and the specificity 0.81.47 In another in vivo
study, 30 molars were examined for the possible
development of secondary caries, 12 months after Acknowledgments
the restoration with glass-ionomer cement and The authors declare no conflict of interest related
amalgam. The diagnostic methods were the DD to this study. There are no conflicts of interest and
and the radiographic control by using bitewing no financial interests to be disclosed.
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Andreas SPAVERAS
Dentist, DMD, Postgraduate Student
Department of Operative Dentistry
Dental School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
CV
Dr Andreas Spaveras received his degree in dentistry (DMD) in 2013 from the Semmelweis University of
Budapest, Hungary. Currently, he is a second year postgraduate student (MSc) at the Operative Department
of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. He is a member of numerous dental study
clubs such as the International Team for Implantology - ITI and has published several scientific articles. He is
an enthusiast of esthetic dentistry and photography.
Questions
Hidden caries are predominantely found in:
q a. Incisors;
q b. Canines;
q c. Premolars;
q d. Molars.
The caries diagnosis in everyday clinical practice is based on:
q a. Visual inspection;
q b. Laser fluorescence;
q c. Visible spectrum fluorescence;
q d. Infrared radiation.
The most appropriate wavelength for the detection of incipient caries by laser fluorescence is:
q a. 337 nm;
q b. 488 nm;
q c. 515 nm;
q d. 633 nm.
Which are the most appropriate Cut-Off Values of the DIAGNOdent for dentin caries:
q a. 0-13;
q b. 14-20;
q c. 21-29;
q d. 20-29.
Stomatology Edu Journal 51