Visualization of occlusal carious lesion by subtraction radiography after stannous fluoride impregnation

It is difficult, both by clinical inspection and by radiographs, to diagnose occlusal carious lesions reliably. Lesions can easily remain undetected, or normal anatomy can be interpreted as a lesion. In both cases the treatment of the patient is not optimal. This study describes the use of contrast media to improve the diagnosis of occlusal caries. Impregnation of occlusal surfaces with SnF₂, in combination with subtraction radiography, produces diagnostic images that give more true positive and less false negative observations, thus improving the diagnosis of occlusal carious lesions.