Caries
Rahaf Sahhaf, BDS
Pediatric Dental Resident
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, Newark, NJ
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Rahway, New Jersey, United States
Hanan Alagl, BDS
Pediatric Dental Resident
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, Newark, NJ
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Rahway, New Jersey, United States
Cassie Park, DMD (she/her/hers)
Resident
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Califon, New Jersey, United States
Shuying Jiang, MS
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Richard Rosivack, DMD
Chair, Department of Pediatric Dentistry
RSDM Pediatric Dentistry
Newark, New Jersey, United States
Jorge Caceda, Professor
Professor
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Newark, New Jersey, United States
Sahhaf R, Alagl H, Park C, Jiang S, Caceda J
Rutgers University, School of Dental Medicine, Department of Pediatric Dentistry & Community Health, and Office of Academic Affairs, Newark, NJ, USA
Purpose: The aims of this study are: (1) to determine the agreement between Spectra Light Fluorescence System (SLFS) and bitewing radiographs (BWR) for detecting approximal caries in primary molars and permanent first molars, and (2) to determine the prevalence and distribution of approximal caries in primary molars and permanent first molars.
Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study is based on secondary data collected from a study performed in 2017 on the sensitivity and specificity of three methods used in the detection of occlusal caries. The secondary data includes the occlusal caries detection of 859 primary first and second molars and 632 permanent first molars of 160 children, ages 7 to 12 years old from an elementary public school in Lima, Peru. Occlusal caries in all teeth were detected using SLFS and BWR. To accomplish the aims of this study only images of the mesial and distal occlusal zones captured with the SLFS and the mesial and distal approximal surfaces on BWR will be included in the analysis. Descriptive and inferential data analysis will be performed using SAS 9.4 software.
Results: The weighted Kappa coefficients of the agreement between SLFS and BWR showed very low to fair agreement between the two systems in the detection of the approximal caries in primary molars and permanent first molars. The prevalence of caries was in general higher using SLFS for the detection of the mesial and distal caries (total caries, caries in enamel only, caries in dentin) in permanent first molars and in the detection of distal caries (total caries, caries in enamel only) in primary molars. The mesial caries (total caries, caries in enamel only, caries in dentin) and the distal dentin caries prevalence of the primary molars was higher using BWR.
Conclusions: There was a very low to fair agreement between SLFS and BWR in the detection of the approximal caries in primary molars and permanent first molars. In addition, caries prevalence varied among the mesial and distal zones/surfaces among first primary molars, second primary molars, and permanent first molars using SLFS and BWR.