Impact of Low Level Magnification on Incipient Occlusal Caries Diagnosis and Treatment Decision Making

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: This in-vitro study aimed to test the accuracy and reproducibility in detection of incipient occlusal caries and treatment decision making using unenhanced visual-tactile technique and low level magnification by the use of loupes and surgical operating microscope (SOM). METHODOLOGY: Sixty extracted human posterior teeth were assessed by two examiners using ICDAS- II index and CPI- TN probe, with and without magnification. Histopathology was used as gold standard for diagnosis of caries and treatment decision making. Inter and intra examiner reproducibility was determined using Kappa statistics. RESULTS: Intraobserver reproducibility for caries detection using surgical operating microscope ranged from average to good (0.4-0.63). Inter-examiner reproducibility values for treatment decision making using experimental techniques such as unaided (0.40), Loupes (0.51) & SOM (0.63) were similar.