Fibre optic transillumination and radiographs in diagnosis of approximal caries in primary teeth

Abstract

The development of fibre optic light probes of small diameter has led to interest in their use as an alternative to radiographs in diagnosing approximal caries. Fifty-four children were included in the present study. Radiographic diagnosis of approximal caries in primary molars was compared with that using a fibre optic light. Sensitivity of diagnosis with the light was 0.67 for Examiner 1 and 0.74 for Examiner 2. Inter-examiner reliability was higher for radiographic diagnosis than with the use of the light (Kappa statistics 0.89 and 0.76 respectively). In terms of diagnostic accuracy and reliability, use of fibre optic transillumination does not appear to provide any advantage over radiographs for diagnosis of approximal caries in primary teeth.