DIAGNOSIS OF CARIES BY RADIOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION

¹ Division of Dental Public Health, Public Health Service, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, D. C., and Public Health Service, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, San Francisco, Calif.

1. Fifty bite-wing x-ray films were read independently by 6 dentists on 2 different occasions 60 days apart. The dentists were asked to determine the presence or absence of carious lesions and, if present, to determine the degree of penetration into tooth structure.

2. Interreader comparison of the diagnosis of carious lesions in proximal surfaces resulted in disagreement 7.5 per cent of the time. When one reading of a single dentist was compared with a second reading of the same film, he disagreed with himself 5.7 per cent of the time.

3. Of the total number of diagnoses made on proximal surfaces, 2.1 per cent were falsely positive, 1.9 per cent falsely negative.

4. There was disagreement between readers as to the extent of the carious lesion in 11.6 per cent of the decisions, and 10.5 per cent of the time a single dentist disagreed with himself as to extent of lesions in proximal surfaces.