diagnostic value of conventional and digital radiography for detection of cavitated and non-cavitated proximal caries

objectives: this study aimed to assess the diagnostic value of conventional and digital radiography for detection of cavitated and non-cavitated proximal caries. materials and methods: fifty extracted human premolars and molars were mounted in a silicone block. charge-coupled device (ccd) and photostimulable phosphor plate (psp) receptors and intra-oral films were exposed with 60 and 70 kvp with parallel technique. two observers interpreted the radiographs twice with a two-week interval using a 5-point scale. teeth were then serially sectioned in mesiodistal direction and evaluated under a stereomicroscope (gold standard). sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were calculated. results: sensitivity of all three receptors for detection of enamel lesions was low (5.5-44.4%) but it was higher for dentin lesions (42.8-62.8%); psp with 70 kvp and 0.03s exposure time had the highest sensitivity for enamel lesions, but the difference among receptors was not statistically significant (p>0.05). sensitivity of all three receptors for detection of non-cavitated lesions was lower than that for cavitated lesions; psp with 60 kvp and 0.07s exposure time had higher sensitivity and lower patient radiation dose for detection of cavitated and non-cavitated lesions, but the difference was not significant (p>0.05). conclusions: digital radiography using psp receptor with 70 kvp is recommended to detect initial enamel caries. for detection of non-cavitated and cavitated dentin caries, psp with 60 kvp is more appropriate. change in kvp did not affect the diagnostic accuracy for detection of caries, and type of receptor was a more important factor.