Inter-examiner concordance in the assessment of periodontal findings by means of panoramic X-rays

Abstract

Objective: To assess the degree of inter-examiner concordance in the interpretation of periodontal fi ndings in panoramic X-rays in last year students of the School of Dentistry at the University of Colombia. Material and methods: A descriptive inter-observer concordance-consistency study was conducted for interpretation of periodontal findings in panoramic X-rays among last year students of the School of Dentistry of the University of Colombia and compared results to thos obtained by a periodontics specialist. Concordance evaluation was achieved by means of a kappa coefficient using SPSS Statistics 2.0 program. Results: 80 last year students (undergraduate seniors) were evaluated each one assessed two panoramic X-rays, for a total of 160 observations. General concordance established a minimum kappa value of 0.011, and maximum value of 0.720. Conclusions: Concordance among observing students and the gold standard was poor. This indicated that students did not apply acquired knowledge during their undergraduate dental studies, and provided thus a misleading impression on the circumstances of the periodontium.