RADIOGRAPHIC CRITERIA EMPLOYED TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT APPROXIMAL CARIES BY FINAL-YEAR DENTAL STUDENTS IN MEXICO-CITY

A total of 407 final-year dental students in Mexico City were asked ab out the radiographic criteria they employed when assessing treatment n eeds for caries in a standardized patient case. 45.2% of participants would restore lesions confined to enamel; 60.7% believed that a lesion which had not passed the dentino-enamel junction would cavitate; and 65.4% said it would take on average 6 months or less for a lesion to p rogress from outer enamel to the dentino-enamel junction. Radiographic criteria appeared to reflect fears of rapid, inevitable progression o f lesions. While local caries experiences had been reported to be high , there seems to be room for re-evaluating some clinical criteria empl oyed to manage caries.