ABSTRACT
Caries remains prevalent throughout modern society and is the main disease in the field of dentistry. Although studies of this disease have used diverse methodology, recently, X-ray microtomography has gained popularity as a non-destructive, 3-dimensional (3D) analytical technique, and has several advantages over the conventional methods. According to X-ray source, it is classified as monochromatic or polychromatic with the latter being more widely used due to the high cost of the monochromatic source despite some advantages. The determination of mineral density profiles based on changes in X-ray attenuation is the principle of this method and calibration and image processing procedures are needed for the better image and reproducible measurements. Using this tool, 3D reconstruction is also possible and it enables to visualize the internal structures of dental caries. With the advances in the computer technology, more diverse applications are being studied, such automated caries assessment algorithms.
Subject(s)
Calibration , Dental Caries , Dentistry , X-Ray MicrotomographyABSTRACT
Saliva is a complex fluid consisting of secretions from the major and minor salivary glands. Gland-specific saliva can be used to diagnose any pathology from the specific major salivary gland. Whole saliva has serum constituents that are derived from the local vasculature of the salivary glands and gingival crevicular fluid. Saliva, as a diagnostic fluid, has distinctive advantages over serum as whole saliva can be collected non-invasively by individuals with limited training using simple equipments. This review aimed to explore the diagnostic applications of saliva in systemic and oral diseases. Analysis of saliva can offer a cost-effective approach to screen for a larger population. Salivary analysis may be useful for diagnosing systemic oral disorders, as well as for monitoring hormone and therapeutic levels of drug.
Subject(s)
Autoimmune Diseases/diagnosis , Biomarkers , Cardiovascular Diseases/diagnosis , Genetic Diseases, Inborn/diagnosis , Humans , Kidney Diseases/diagnosis , Mouth Diseases/diagnosis , Neoplasms/diagnosis , Periodontics/diagnosis , Saliva/analysisABSTRACT
Background: The diagnosis of dental caries is fundamental to the practice of dentistry. Despite the fact that dental caries has declined considerably, it is still a problem of great importance. The reduction in caries prevalence has not occurred uniformly for all the surfaces. The greatest reduction was observed at lesions located on smooth surfaces, so that occlusal caries are most common in children. Aim: The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical efficacy of DIAGNOdent in detecting occlusal caries. Materials and Methods: A total number of 50 teeth were subjected for visual, radiographic, and DIAGNOdent examinations. All the three methods were compared to histology which is a gold standard. Results: The result obtained showed that DIAGNOdent is superior to visual and radiographic methods in diagnosing occlusal caries.
Subject(s)
Dental Caries/diagnosis , Dental Caries/pathology , Dental Caries/diagnostic imaging , Diagnosis, Oral/instrumentation , Fluorescence , Humans , Lasers/diagnosis , Radiography, Bitewing , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the bitewing radiograph(BWR),clinic examination(CE) and laser fluorescence examination (LF) for detection of initial posterior approximal caries . Methods:A total of 162 approximal surfaces from 81 extracted posterior teeth were examined by BWR, CE and LF. The histological diagnosis of sectioned teeth was used as the validating criterion (gold standard) to assess the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and reproducibility. Results: The sensitivity and accuracy of BWR was higher than those of CE or LF at the level of enamel caries. Conclusions: BWR is an accurate diagnostic method for initial posterior approximal caries in present clinic practice. The inferior efficacy of LF is mainly due to its poor reproducibility of approximal surfaces.