Diagnosis of occlusal enamel caries using near-infrared light transillumination

The purpose of this in- vitro study is to evaluate the ability of DIAGNOcam™ to detect occlusal caries at an early stage and to compare it with ICDAS II criteria, DIAGNOdent™, and digital radiography using histological validation as a reference standard. Thirty-five primary molars with early occlusal enamel caries were first examined visually using ICDAS II criteria, DIAGNOdent™, VistaScan™ and DIAGNOcam™. Sectioning of the teeth was done for histological validation and the presence of caries was evaluated using Downer's criteria. The Chi- square test was used for inferential statistics. Individual correlation of Visual examination, DIAGNOdent™, VistaScan™ and DIAGNOcam™ done with histology. Correlation of Visual examination, DIAGNOdent™ and VistaScan™ done with DIAGNOcam™. Sensitivity analysis was done to calculate sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves based on the histological results. There was a statistically significant correlation between visual examination, VistaScan™, DIAGNOdent™, and DIAGNOcam™ with histology. Also statistically significant was the correlation between visual examination, VistaScan™, and DIAGNOdent™ with DIAGNOcam™ In diagnosing early occlusal caries, DIAGNOcam™ has demonstrated results superior to the histological gold standard. NILT has proven to be a valuable tool for clinical practice and can be utilized as a supplement to visual examination.