Reliability of a Fluorescence-aided Identification Technique (FIT) for detecting tooth-colored restorations: an ex vivo comparative study

Objective The aim of the study was to compare the diagnostic predictive values of a Fluorescence-aided Identification Technique (FIT) with those of the conventional diagnostic method regarding the identification of resin composite restorations. Materials and methods Twenty examiners, 10 students, and 10 dentists were asked to identify composite restorations in a full-mouth model using both the FIT (405-nm light source) and the conventional method in combination with a common diagnostic light source. Each dental examination was repeated three times to calculate inter-/intra-operator agreement, repeatability, and reproducibility using kappa statistics. Predictive values were calculated using a filling prevalence of 42 % and the sensitivity and specificity of each method. Pearson’s test and the 99 % confidence interval (CI) were used for comparison. Results The sensitivity (97 %, CI 94–99 %) and specificity (100 %, CI 98–100 %) of the FIT were significantly higher than those of the conventional method (27 %, CI 21–31 %, and 65 %, CI 58–72 %, respectively). Consequently, the positive (100 %) and negative (98 %) predictive values of the FIT were significantly higher than those of the conventional method (35 and 55 %, respectively). As expressed by the kappa statistics, the repeatability (0.96) and reproducibility (0.95) of the FIT were significantly better than those of the conventional method (0.49, CI 0.42–0.56, and 0.34, CI 0.26–0.43, respectively). Conclusion Compared to the conventional technique, the FIT was significantly more reliable as shown by higher sensitivity, specificity, repeatability, and reproducibility values. Clinical relevance The FIT should be considered as a reliable and practicable alternative in contrast to the conventional method, which was hardly sufficient as a diagnostic procedure.