ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DIFFERENT METHODS OF DETECTION OF OCCLUSAL CARIES LESIONS

Abstract

Objective: To in vivo evaluate the association between visual, radiographic and Laser fluorescence (DIAGNOdent®) methods assessing occlusal surfaces in the deciduous and mixed dentitions of children attended in the Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics clinics, Dentistry College, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba - UEPB. Material and Methods: Nineteen children were selected, aged between 5 and 11 years old, with mixed or deciduous dentitions, totalizing 92 occlusal surfaces of deciduous and permanent molars, as well as of fully erupted premolars, all presenting at least one of the following signals under visual examination: white spot (opaque), brown or brownish stain, and/or microcavities in the occlusal region. For each examination, the sites were ranked according to scores and then registered in clinical records specifically prepared for this study. Data gathered were subjected to statistical analysis by Cohen Kappa agreement test. Results: It was observed a low correlation between the methods. Precisely, the correlation between visual and radiographic examinations was k=0.04, whereas between visual and DIAGNOdent examinations was k=0.07 and, finally, between radiographic and DIAGNOdent examinations was k=0.26. That last one was the highest correlation found among the associations. Conclusions: DIAGNOdent should be included during the treatment planning process as adjuvant to conventional methods in the dental clinics for occlusal caries detection. Descriptors: Dental Caries. Diagnosis. Lasers.