Effectiveness of near-infrared transillumination in early caries diagnosis

Abstract

Early caries detection is essential for minimal intervention dentistry, since it could give the opportunity to reverse the process and eliminate or at least postpone the surgical treatment. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of near-infrared transillumination in early caries diagnosis for both occlusal and proximal lesions. Thirty-eight adult patients were included in the study. The results from the visual, radiological and near-infrared transillumination examination for proximal caries lesions were compared. The diagnostic abilities of these methods for occlusal lesions were assayed on 60 teeth. The three methods showed a very high level of correlation when there were caries lesions involving the enamel and dentin. Concerning proximal caries involving only the enamel, the visual-tactile diagnosis proved to be insufficiently sensitive even with the use of magnification. Radiographic examination and near-infrared transillumination correlated significantly, but the latter was more sensitive. Radiographic examination proved to be insufficiently sensitive for occlusal lesions. The results obtained with the near-infrared fluorescence correlated most with the visual-tactile examination. These results suggest that near-infrared transillumination is an effective method for diagnosis of lesions both involving only the enamel and involving the enamel and dentin. It could be used for both occlusal and proximal caries lesions and it could eventually substitute radiographic bitewings, especially in children and pregnant women, due to its efficiency as a diagnostic tool and the absence of radiation.

A clinical study comparing digital radiography and near‐infrared transillumination in caries detection

“…A recent clinical study comparing NIRTI to BWXRs that incorporated the excavation of lesions extending into dentin concluded that NIRTI has a diagnostic accuracy similar to BWXRs . Similarly, operative treatment in another recent clinical study confirmed the reliability of both radiographs and NIRTI as diagnostic tools for proximal caries lesions . A concern about validation via excavation, however, is that it could potentially neglect specificity (true negative), especially with enamel caries, since one of the major goals of these detection devices is early detection for minimal intervention.…”

“…12 Similarly, operative treatment in another recent clinical study confirmed the reliability of both radiographs and NIRTI as diagnostic tools for proximal caries lesions. 13 A concern about validation via excavation, however, is that it could potentially neglect specificity (true negative), especially with enamel caries, since one of the major goals of these detection devices is early detection for minimal interven- 7 Their results also showed that NIRTI has a higher sensitivity and specificity, but the study used a custom laboratory setup that did not specifically simulate intraoral conditions.…”

“…Their clinical experiences concluded that NIRTI may help to reduce the number of BWXRs for caries diagnosis in everyday practice, but still cannot supersede radiographs in all aspects 11. A limited number of clinical studies have been published showing that DIAGNOcam has not only high sensitivity for detecting interproximal carious lesions, but also high specificity [12][13][14]. These results are contrary to the lower specificity, as compared to radiography, that is generally seen with alternative caries detection devices.…”

Laser Diode Near-Infrared Transillumination (Diagnocam) as a Diagnostic Tool in Early Detection of Caries (In Vitro Study)

“…Also, Russotto, F. et al (20) who concluded that near-infrared transillumination performed significantly better than radiography as an interproximal caries detection tool. Also, Marinova-Takorova, M. et al (21) who concluded that nearinfrared transillumination is an effective method for diagnosis of lesions both involving only the enamel and involving the enamel and dentin for both occlusal and proximal caries lesions. Also, Simon, J. et al (22) who stated that near-infrared imaging was significantly more sensitive than radiography in detecting early carious lesions on both occlusal and interproximal surfaces, and Cirligeriu, L. et al (23) who found that there is a good correlation between near-infrared transillumination and radiography but the former proved more accurate compared to the later.…”

Modern Methods of Occlusal Caries Diagnosis in Children

“…Schneiderman et al, Хэ-Вун и др. [18][19][20] установили, что в обнаружении окклюзионного кариеса метод DIFOTI с использованием устройства DIAGNOcam имеет более высокую чувствительность по сравнению с традиционными рентгенографическими методами и методом лазерной флуоресценции, кроме того, полученные результаты также наиболее тесно коррелируют с гистологическими результатами.…”