Inter-and intra-examiner reliability of bitewing radiography and near-infrared light transillumination for proximal caries detection and assessment.

Inter-and intra-examiner reliability of bitewing radiography and near-infrared light transillumination for proximal caries detection and assessment.

Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2017 Dec 11;:20170292

Authors: Litzenburger F, Heck K, Pitchika V, Neuhaus KW, Jost FN, Hickel R, Jablonski-Momeni A, Welk A, Lederer A, Kühnisch J

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the inter- and intra-examiner reliability of digital bitewing (DBW) radiography and near-infrared light transillumination (NIRT) for proximal caries detection and assessment in posterior teeth.
METHODS: From a pool of 85 patients, 100 corresponding pairs of DBW and NIRT images (~1/3 healthy, ~1/3 with enamel caries and ~1/3 with dentin caries) were chosen. Twelve dentists with different professional statuses and clinical experience repeated the evaluation in two blinded cycles. Two experienced dentists provided a reference diagnosis after analysing all images independently. Statistical analysis included the calculation of simple (κ) and weighted Kappa (wκ) values as a measure of reliability. Logistic regression with a backward elimination model was used to investigate the influence of the diagnostic method, evaluation cycle, type of tooth, and clinical experience on reliability.
RESULTS: Altogether, inter- and intra-examiner reliability exhibited good to excellent κ and wκ values for DBW radiography (Inter: κ = 0.60/ 0.63; wκ = 0.74/0.76; Intra: κ = 0.64; wκ = 0.77) and NIRT (Inter: κ = 0.74/0.64; wκ = 0.86/0.82; Intra: κ = 0.68; wκ = 0.84). The backward elimination model revealed NIRT to be significantly more reliable than DBW radiography.
CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed a good to excellent inter-and intra-examiner reliability for proximal caries detection using DBW and NIRT images. The logistic regression analysis revealed significantly better reliability for NIRT. Additionally, the first evaluation cycle was more reliable according to the reference diagnoses.

PMID: 29227160 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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