Depth of occlusal caries assessed clinically by fluorescence laser, conventional and digital radiographic methods

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of conventional radiographic, direct digital radiographic and the fluorescent laser in determining the extent of caries. The results suggested that the accuracy of the radiographic method was low for detecting enamel lesions and high for dentinal lesions. The fluorescent laser showed a high percentage of false positive decisions, although, this can be considered a good method for diagnosing initial lesions and dentists should adopt a preventive approach in these situations.