in vivo diagnostic accuracy of digital radiography in the detection of secondary caries in anterior teeth

abstract background and aim: secondary caries are a common challenge for dentists. many researchers have evaluated the accuracy of digital radiographic systems in the detection of secondary caries and have reported controversial results. therefore, the aim of this in vivo study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of digital radiography in the detection of secondary caries in anterior teeth. materials and methods: in this diagnostic in vivo study, 34 patients were selected from among the individuals who wished to replace their anterior teeth restorations. the restorations in need of replacement were class iii or class iv composite resin restorations which were at least 5 years aged with either a crack in the restoration body or with more than 0.5mm marginal maladaptation or marginal discoloration. digital radiographs were obtained and were observed randomly by four oral and maxillofacial radiologists. caries detection was classified using a 5-point likert scale. statistics were computed to assess kappa coefficients. results: according to the data, observer reliability for psp sensor was between 0.79 and 0.88 which is an indicator of the high accuracy of psp sensor. the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were 90, 77, 86, 85 and 86 % respectively. conclusion: the results suggest that in vivo digital radiography with psp sensors is sufficiently accurate in the detection of secondary caries.