evaluation of interproximal caries with using of bitewing radiography in dental student of islamic azad university

statement of problem: dental caries is one of the common diseases in the world. it is an infective disease which is caused by loss of minerals and destruction of dental tissues. one of the most effective ways to diagnose the interproximal caries is radiography. bitewing radiography is the best way for caries diagnosis. purpose: the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of the interproximal caries in dental students of islamic azad university. materials and methods: this research was a cross sectional study that was conducted on 89 students of the azad university consisting of 48 females and 41 males who were selected by random sampling. for each individual student left and right posterior bitewing radiographs were taken with a standard method (the interproximal spaces were between 6-7,5,6 and 4,5). thus 12 interproximal spaces were examined in each individual. the most proximal cavitation surfaces were detected in the upper jaw. results: results revealed that 6 individuals (6.7%) were totally caries free and 83 individuals (93.3%) showed interproxmal caries. out of 1068 proximal spaces which had been studied 794 spaces (73.4%) were caries free and 274 surfaces (25.7%) had caries. conclusion: the high incidence of proximal caries and the possibility of missing them in the routine examinations make the bitewing radiographs an effective procedure for diagnosis.