Modern digital methods in the diagnosis of dental caries

An intraoral scanner (IOS) is a modern device for scanning the oral cavity, which is used in various fields of dentistry, most often to make digital impressions. At the same time, this method is rarely used to diagnose dental caries. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the diagnostic effectiveness of 3D scanning, compare it with 3D radiography and clinical examination data for "hidden" caries on the contact dental surfaces. Materials and methods. The study involved 20 persons aged from 16 to 18. All patients underwent clinical dental examination according to generally accepted methods with filling out the examination card of a dental patient №043/u, 3D-radiography of the maxillofacial region and 3D-scanning of the dentition. The results of the study were confirmed by statistical data processing using the method of variation statistics with the calculation of the Student's criterion. Results. The presence of hidden processes on the contact dental surface can be diagnosed using radiography or scanning in 90% of cases, while visual examination can detect them only in 60% (p > 0.5). 3D-scanning also makes it possible to establish the presence of a "hidden" carious dental lesion in a higher percentage of cases compared to a visual clinical examination and probing of the dental crown surface. Conclusions. A high diagnostic efficiency of 3D-scanning and 3D-radiography compared with clinical examination in determining "latent" caries on contact dental surfaces (p < 0.5) and the same effectiveness of digital examination methods in this case (p > 0.5) were revealed. The use of 3D-scanning has advantages in cases where other additional examination methods, in particular radiography, are contraindicated or technically impossible to perform.