IN-VITRO COMPARISON OF D-SPEED AND E-SPEED FILM RADIOGRAPHY, RVG, ANDVISUALIX DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY FOR THE DETECTION OF ENAMEL APPROXIMAL AND DENTINAL OCCLUSAL CARIES LESIONS

The aims of this study were (1) to compare the accuracy of conventiona l D- and E-speed film radiography and direct digital radiography using the Radio VisioGraphy and Visualix systems for the detection of ename l approximal caries lesions and (2) to compare the accuracy of D- and E-speed films and the Visualix system for the detection of dentinal oc clusal caries lesions. In total, 122 approximal surfaces were examined in vitro by 3 observers and 65 occlusal surfaces by 2 observers. The true caries diagnosis was based on histological assessment of the surf aces after sectioning the teeth. Approximal surfaces were deemed disea sed by the presence of a demineralization in enamel, while occlusal su rfaces were deemed diseased by the presence of a demineralization into dentine. The diagnostic accuracy for each radiographic method was exp ressed as a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve area. For th e approximal surfaces, the areas under the ROC curves ranged from 0.53 (Visualix) to 0.70 (E-speed film). For the occlusal surfaces, the are as ranged from 0.62 (Visualix) to 0.79 (D- and E-speed films). No stat istically significant differences between mean ROC curve areas for the radiographic methods were found either for the approximal or for the occlusal surfaces. It was concluded that radiography was of almost no value in the detection of enamel approximal caries lesions, but of som e value in the detection of dentinal lesions in occlusal surfaces.