In vitro Comparison of Conventional Film and Direct Digital Radiography in Proximal Caries Detection

Introduction: Various systems for intraoral digital radiography have been available as an alternative to film–based radiography. In consideration of several advantages of digital radiography such as less patient absorbed dose, manipulation of im‌age quality and elimination of processing, it has been extensively used in different fields of denti‌stry in recent years. The purpose of this study was comparison of conventional film and digital radiography in the proximal caries diagnosis. Materials and Methods: In this in vitro study, 60 extracted premolar teeth were selected and mounted in acrylic blocks. The teeth were radio-graphed using F-speed film and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor digital sensor (CMOS). Two observers evaluated interproximal surfaces for detection of presence and extent of caries. True caries depth was determined by his‌tological examination. The diagnostic accuracy of each radiographic system were assessed by means of receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Results: There was no significant difference be-tween two imaging modalities. The AZ values in cases without caries and dentinal caries were greater than caries restricted to enamel and Den‌tino Enamel Junction (DEJ). The differences among observers also were not statistically sig-nificant. Conclusion: Both imaging modalities were com-parable in the detection of proximal carious le-sions.