Reproducibility of DIAGNOdent 2095 and DIAGNOdent Pen measurements: results from an in vitro study on occlusal sites

Abstract

The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate the intra- and interdevice reproducibility of the DIAGNOdent 2095 (DD2095) and the new DIAGNOdent Pen (DDPen) on non-cavitated occlusal caries sites. Altogether, 241 sites on 90 molars were inspected twice with both devices and by four examiners. The intra/interdevice reproducibilities were assessed by means of the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) as well as by the range of the 95% limits of agreement of Bland & Altman. Additionally, a linear mixed-effects model was fitted with fixed effects for the visual scores and the devices used and random effects for occlusal sites and examiners within each measurement site. In result, the following values were determined for the intradevice reproducibility: DD2095: ICC 0.89, range 42.3; and DDPen: ICC 0.88, range 49.3. The interdevice reproducibility was found to be in the same order of magnitude (ICC 0.82, range 53.7). The comparison between both devices indicated significantly lower mean values for the DDPen. The estimates of the linear model show that there is a high variation between the sites that cannot be explained by the fixed effects. In conclusion, both devices showed an imperfect reproducibility, which indicate the usage as adjunct tool only in clinical practice.