Agreement of Bitewing and Digital Panoramic Radiographies in the Detection of Proximal Caries

Background & Aims: Conventional radiography is used for the diagnosis of problems such as dental caries and failure in root canal therapy. The diagnosis accuracy of conventional radiography is acceptable in the evaluation of anatomical and pathological structures. However, it seems that by using digital radiography we can obtain more information in this field. The aim of this study is to compare the diagnosis accuracy of bitewing radiography and digital panoramic imaging (filtered and unfiltered) in detection of proximal caries. Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical study which has evaluated 56 files of patients who were referred to a private office in Qazvin, Iran. These patients had digital panoramic (with CD) and bitewing radiographies in their records. The presence of decay and depth of decay were evaluated at the basis of 5- scale and 4-scale measurements, respectively. After collecting the data, data were entered into SPSS and ANOVA and Kappa coefficient were used. Values of P < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The highest agreement in terms of presence or absence of caries based on location was obtained for bitewing (Kappa > 0.76), unfiltered panoramic, and filtered panoramic, respectively. General agreement between the two observers in terms of depth of caries was higher for panoramic views than bitewing radiography. Conclusion: According to the results of this study digital panoramic imaging, in spite of its digital imaging which the manufacturer claims can increase diagnostic accuracy, cannot be as accurate as bitewing radiography in detection of proximal caries. Thus, bitewing radiography is always the best option for evaluation of proximal surfaces.