Smartphone use as an aid in evaluating conventional radiographs

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of smartphones for digitizing, sharing, and viewing conventional radiographic images. Eighty conventional radiographs of 40 teeth with metallic mesio-occlusodistal restorations (40 radiographs showing perfectly adapted restorations and 40 showing restorations with a 0.4-mm proximal gap) were digitized using a smartphone and then evaluated using 2 viewing methods: a light box (LB) and a smartphone screen (SS). Three examiners assessed all radiographs for the presence of marginal gaps using a dichotomous yes/no scale. To analyze examiner reproducibility, 10% of the samples was reassessed. The sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy were calculated for each examiner and viewing method. The McNemar test was used to compare examiners' diagnoses based on the 2 viewing methods. The level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. The level of agreement was κ > 0.8 for all examiners and both viewing methods. The LB group presented greater sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy than the SS group, but no statistically significant differences were found between the methods (P > 0.05). The results achieved were promising, suggesting that the smartphone can be presented as a new aid for radiographic evaluation (LB accuracy, 0.899 to 0.911; SS accuracy, 0.823 to 0.873). Smartphones offer similar accuracy to the traditional viewing method for evaluation of metallic restorations on conventional radiographs.

Keywords: dental radiography; dental restoration; diagnosis; smartphone.