Dental Caries Diagnostic Testing

Excerpt

Dental caries continue to be one of the most prevalent chronic infections worldwide. Luckily, many diagnostic tests have been developed in the last century to detect the disease sooner rather than later, allowing for prompt intervention that will eventually tackle the caries matter.

To provide the most accurate and efficient treatment, dental practitioners should combine various diagnostic tests. A visual-tactile examination allows for an initial diagnosis later supplemented and verified by the tool that best fits the case. Diagnostic tests can be further separated into qualitative and quantitative according to the type of information provided. Radiographs are commonly used as the first aid in diagnosis after the clinical examination and offer the practitioner a qualitative diagnosis. Caries detection dyes are mainly implemented to help caries removal than to diagnose caries. The uses of fiber optic transillumination (FOTI) are numerous, but the device is still primarily utilized for caries diagnosis.

Newer diagnostic tools, such as laser fluorescence detection devices and light-induced fluorescence, give more accurate information about the carious lesion. Light-induced fluorescence detects the lesion's specific location and extension and bacterial activity - quantitative data. Laser fluorescence detection devices detect remineralization and demineralization processes, which can be implemented to diagnose an incipient lesion and assess the efficacy of a remineralization therapy. Since this tool provides a numerical value, it is considered a quantitative test.